Loan shark terror: Man ends life

Ahmedabad: With three cases registered in two days at different police stations against loan sharks, city cops swung into action and nabbed two accused persons from Isanpur.
While Isanpur police were busy publicly shaming the two accused —Harjeetsinh Bedi and Manmohansingh Bedi — taking them around the area with their hands together pleading for forgiveness on Wednesday, another youth, Suhail Qureshi, attempted suicide in the Karanj area because harassment by loan sharks.

Of the three loan sharking cases, the victims saw suicide as the only way out in two. While the body of Vastral resident Hasmukh Patel was fished out of a canal in Viramgam, Suhail Qureshi who consumed poison on Wednesday, is being treated at VS hospital and is in a critical condition. Senior police officials said they are taking strict action against loan sharks who illegally lend money at usurious interest and then torture borrowers for recovery. In the case lodged at Isanpur police station, Kapil Agrawal said he borrowed Rs 20 lakh from Harjeetsingh and Manmohansingh and was paying Rs 50,000 as interest every month. “Though he repaid the loan, the loan sharks took possession of his house and evicted his mother and him. We have arrested the accused,” said an Isanpur police official. On Wednesday, Suhail Qureshi consumed poison as he was being harassed by local moneylenders for recovery of the loan.