Loan recovery agent crushes pregnant woman to death under tractor
A terrible incident involving a debt-ridden farmer came to light in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district on Saturday. Mithilesh Mehta, a farmer, lost his 27-year-old pregnant daughter when a debt recovery agent crushed her to death under the tractor. Mehta failed to repay the tractor loan on time, but the lending company was impatient and dispatched a recovery agent to confiscate his tractor, according to PTI.
What did the police say?
The Jharkhand Police said a murder case was filed as soon as they learned about the incident. District Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chothe said the case was filed against four persons, including the lender Mahindra Finance Company's manager and recovery agent. He added that a special investigation team headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (HQ), Rajeev Kumar, was formed to arrest those involved.
What do we know about the incident so far?
On Friday, the recovery agent reached Mehta's place, demanding him to repay the Rs. 1.5L loan amount. While Mehta reportedly said he would deposit Rs. 1.2L immediately, the agent didn't listen. The agent took away the tractor, but Mehta and his family tried to stop it. During the scuffle, his daughter fell in front of it and was crushed to death under its wheels.
Massive protest by villagers, demand Rs. 20 lakh compensation
Meanwhile, several villagers, especially women, protested in front of the Hazaribagh Collectorate on Friday and demanded the immediate arrest of the lending company's manager and recovery agent, according to PTI. Additionally, they demanded compensation of Rs. 20 lakh for the victim's family. The protest reportedly ended after several hours, following the assurance by the police that the accused will be arrested soon.
How did the company react?
Meanwhile, the managing director and CEO of Mahindra Group, Anish Shah, issued a statement over the incident on Friday. "We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the Hazaribagh incident. We stand with the family in this moment of grief," stated Shah. He promised to look into the matter from all angles and "examine" the long-standing practice of hiring third-party collection agencies for loan recoveries.
