Instant loan terror: Rape & blackmail in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Despite police crackdown, harassment of loanees through instant loan apps continues unabashed in the city. In the first two weeks of May, police have booked six cases against loan recovery agents for allegedly threatening to rape women, post nude photos online and circulate morphed pictures and videos among contacts, if they fail to repay loans.
Among the apps named in FIRs include Cash Bus, Lendmall, Cash Advance, Rupee King and Rupee Box, Ok Loan, Sunshine Loan, Money Grant, Gold Sea Lend Mall, Bharat Loan, Bharat Cash, Cash Cherry Lend, Rose Lend, Small Cash, XP cash, Moneymaster, Lend King, Lend Fast, Coco Fast and Coco Lend.
On May 9, Hyderabad cyber crime police booked a case against a loan app based on a complaint of a 48-year-old home-maker from Old Bowenpally. In her complaint, she alleged: “I took a loan from an app in October 2021, due to a medical emergency, for seven days. On the due date, I got a WhatsApp message, stating if I don’t make the payment right away, they will circulate morphed nude photos of mine among my relatives and friends.”
Agents threaten to post pics of victims on porn websites
The homemaker told police that she asked them for time till evening, but they forced her to download another app and take a fresh loan of 10,000 to repay them.
"I followed their instructions and downloaded the app and made the payment, but the harassment did not end there," the complainant said. She was forced to download 14 different apps in a similar manner. "Till date, I have made multiple payments with huge interest and extreme humiliation," the woman stated, adding how it was a "big trap" and the agents use "filthy language".
Similarly, a 28-year-old loanee from Peerzadiguda lodged a complaint with the cyber crime police on May 7. The private employee borrowed from apps like Cash Bus, Lendmall, Cash Advance, Rupee King and Rupee Box. "I repaid the loan, but the agents are harassing, saying that payments were not successful and I need to pay again," the complainant stated.
"The agents threatened to upload morphed photos of mine and my family members on porn websites, if I failed to pay up. Out of fear, I repaid some amount and uninstalled the apps. They levied huge interest and started harassing me by sending morphed photo of me as "rapist, 250 rs k liye apni *** ko rape kiya, he raped 7 years old girl, money fraud most wanted, loan chor" etc...Due to the harassment, I ended up paying 49 lakh though only 20 lakh was shown as credited."
A 43-year-old employee from Musheerabad too said that the loan apps demanded he pay 16,000 even though he paid 6,000 of a loan of 3,300. In his case too, the agents had threatened to send his nude photos to all contacts. The Hyderabad cyber crime police registered an FIR on May 10.
The same day, police had registered two other cases - one, based on a complaint from a 41-year-old Old Mallepally-based employee, and another from a video editor from Jubilee Hills.
In the first case, the loanee took loans from two apps and later from others to repay the first two. "I had taken 18 loans from apps, but they are not updating the account," he said. In the second case, the loanee faces harassment, despite making the payments on time.