Tirupati: Online lending apps on police radar

Tirupati: With increasing number complaints on online money lending apps, urban police district cybercrime wing, which is fully equipped with latest tools to crack the online frauds, registered FIRs on about 50 companies which are giving loans to the needy online.

Urban SP C Venkata Appala Naidu sent these FIRs to director general of Indian Computer Emerging Response Team under ministry of communication and IT, New Delhi, seeking a ban on these 50 apps.

The urban police officials also said in their complaint to the ministry that some women who availed loans or members of debtors are being targetted by the app operators who are morphing their photos and creating obscene content for blackmailing and other nefarious purposes.

These online loan apps will initially collect all the details of the borrowers, including PAN, Aadhaar, bank account details along with photos which they later morph and post to relatives, friends and acquaintances through messaging apps as part of ramping up pressure on the debtor if he or she failed to repay the loan in time.

If the borrower is a woman, the lending companies morph the photo her, create obscene pictures and make them viral, inflicting horrible humiliation on her among relatives and acquaintances even with phone numbers.

The companies designed their apps in such a way that those availing loans have to submit all details, including contact numbers stored in their mobiles, immediately after downloading the app.

The companies demand abnormal interest if payment got delayed even for one day and resort to various types of harassment like repeated calls blackmailing and shaming.

At the behest of SP Venkata Appala Naidu, cybercrime wing CI Subramanyam Reddy and his team registered FIRs against about 50 such app operators.

Speaking to The Hans India, Urban SP Naidu said people should not take loans through online apps which may resort to harassment and humiliation. He appealed to the people to bring the details of harassment to the notice of police to get relief from such app operators.