Rajamahendravaram: Harassed by loan app agents, Couple ends life

Rajamahendravaram(East Godavari District): A couple from Rajamahendravaram died by suicide on Thursday, unable to bear the harassment of loan-app recovery agents.

Kolli Durga Rao and his wife Ramya Lakshmi, who hailed from Labbarti village of Rajavommangi mandal in Alluri Sitarama Raju district, shifted to Rajahmundry 10 years ago seeking livelihood. Durga Rao works as a painter and Ramya Lakshmi works as a tailor and lives at Anand Nagar. They have two children - Tejaswi Nagasai (4) and Likhita Sri (2).

A few months ago, they took a loan of Rs 50,000 through an online loan app, for their financial needs. They repaid only a part of the loan amount.

The loan app agents started harassing the couple over loan repayment and threatened them of morphing their photos with nude pictures and videos and posting them on social media.

The couple were deeply upset and took a room in a lodge on Godavari bund on Tuesday night and consumed insecticide. Before taking the extreme step, Durga Rao called his brother and informed him that they were committing suicide over the harassment of loan app agents.

The brother rushed to the lodge and shifted the couple to hospital. Both Durga Rao and Lakshmi died on Wednesday while undergoing treatment in the hospital.

Shocked by the incident, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the two children of the deceased.

AP Women Commission chairperson Vasireddy Padma, District Collector K Madhavi Latha, MP Margani Bharat Ram and others visited the children on Thursday. They appealed to the people, who took loans through loan apps, to not to commit suicide out of fear. The government will act strictly in case the organisers of loan apps threat the people, they requested.