Moneylender booked after Navi Mumbai man ends life over loan harassment

A Navi Mumbai resident, Ravindra Shinde, died by suicide after alleged harassment by a private moneylender over exorbitant interest rates. In a suicide note, he urged action against the lender, who has now been booked but not yet arrested.

Thane: A private moneylender has been booked on charges of abetment of suicide after a 39-year-old committed suicide at his residence in the Koparkhairane node of Navi Mumbai, police said on Wednesday.

The deceased, identified as Ravindra Shinde, blamed Mumbai-based moneylender Pratamesh Chavan for his death in a suicide note, a police official said. Shinde was found hanging from the ceiling of his home on May 26.

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“The victim stated in the suicide note that he had borrowed money from Chavan and was initially paying an interest rate of 12.5 per cent. However, Chavan later began demanding an exorbitant 30 per cent interest, which caused severe mental distress,” the official said.

Shinde also appealed to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the note, urging him to take strict action against Chavan. Police booked Chavan under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on June 2. He has not yet been arrested.