27-yr-old tempo driver dies by suicide, loan recovery agent booked

MUMBAI: A loan recovery agent is booked for abetting the suicide of a 27-year-old tempo driver, who faced harassment over unpaid EMIs of ₹14 lakh loan.

MUMBAI: A loan recovery agent of a private finance company has been booked for abetting the suicide of a 27-year-old tempo driver, who failed to pay the EMIs of a loan of ₹14 lakh, borrowed to purchase a tempo in 2024.

27-yr-old tempo driver dies by suicide, loan recovery agent booked

The man committed suicide at his Gokul Nagar, Kandivali East, residence. His body was discovered by his roommate and friend, an auto rickshaw driver, on returning home around 2pm on December 31.

A case under section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered by the Kurar Village police against the accused agent. They found no suicide note at the deceased’s residence, who allegedly took the drastic step after harassment from the agent over unpaid equated monthly instalments (EMIs). The deceased had taken a ₹14-lakh loan for the commercial vehicle five months back and had paid three instalments of ₹32,000 each before health issues led to his hospitalisation and surgery in early December of 2024.

His elder brother told Hindustan Times, “My brother failed to pay two recent EMIs. The constant harassment from the loan recovery agent led him to take his own life. I had asked the agent to take away the tempo as my brother was not in a position to pay the EMI. But he kept calling him till midnight of Dec 30, which triggered my brother to end his life.”

The extreme step came after the accused recovery agent reportedly took away the documents of the vehicle.