NAVI MUMBAI: A 50-year-old school teacher from Alibaug jumped to his death from Atal Setu near Ulwe on Friday morning after allegedly being shamed by suspected loan recovery tactics adopted by an instant loan app company.
The teacher was unable to repay an outstanding amount of Rs 12,000, and recovery agents of the loan app company were hounding him for the past week. They allegedly circulated his morphed nude images to his contacts and in WhatsApp groups, said senior inspector of Ulwe police station, Arjun Rajane.
The officer said that the teacher’s family members have claimed that he had availed of a loan from the instant loan app last month as he was under severe debt to repay a personal loan taken from villagers.
As he was unable to repay the app company’s loan, he started receiving calls for recovery and was warned of “defamation for non-payment”. He approached the police to lodge a complaint, but did not fearing humiliation in his school and locality.
The incident was captured on CCTV cameras; family yet to file complaint
The teacher reached Atal Setu, at Uran, around 9 am. “He alighted from his car, and jumped off,” said the police inspector.
As the incident was captured on CCTV cameras, a police team rushed to the spot. With the help of local fishermen, his body was brought out about 12 km away, near Nhava creek. He was declared ‘brought dead’ at the hospital. The police said they have advised the teacher’s family to approach the police station concerned to lodge a complaint against those who allegedly morphed his images for harassment to recover the loan amount.
Assistant Inspector Santosh Darade of Poynad police station stated that the relatives of the teacher have not yet filed a formal complaint against the officials of the loan app company.
