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Indian techie funds childhood friend’s New Zealand dream with ₹8 lakh, gets ghosted
A software developer’s life turned into a nightmare after a friend they funded for a New Zealand degree ghosted them, leaving them in debt.
An Indian software developer has sparked an intense discussion on social media after sharing a harrowing account of how a ₹8 lakh loan to a childhood friend led to his financial and emotional ruin. In a viral Reddit post, the developer detailed how he funded his friend’s move to New Zealand for a master’s degree, only to be ghosted once his friend relocated. Now struggling with unemployment following a recent layoff and facing relentless harassment from loan providers, the Redditor says he has also lost his family's trust.
“I’m a software developer and was working in a product-based company earning around 12 LPA per year. I want to share one of the worst decisions of my life. My childhood friend was planning to go abroad for his master’s degree. Over time, I gave him ₹8 lakh in monthly installments to support him. I trusted him completely. Six months ago, he moved to New Zealand. After reaching there, he slowly cut contact and has now completely disappeared from my life. He isn’t responding to calls or messages,” the Redditor wrote.
The individual shared that he had taken loans of about ₹5 lakh from multiple apps and NBFCs to support his friend. He added, “To make things worse, I got laid off three months ago. I haven’t been able to pay my EMIs or credit card bills. The interest is increasing, recovery calls are constant, and my mental health is breaking down. My family has lost trust in me and sees me as a failure. I feel financially and emotionally destroyed.”
In the following lines, the Redditor asks what they should do next. “Should I take legal action against him? How do I manage loan app harassment and growing debt? How do I rebuild financially after this? How do I deal with the guilt and family pressure?”
What did social media say?
An individual commented, “Sorry, I have no helpful answer, but I really don’t understand how people can do things like borrowing money and then disappearing. Like, don’t they feel guilt when spending someone else’s money or by cheating them, especially a known person? It’s not similar to scammers who don’t know the people they’re scamming, and it’s just a faceless target for them.”
Another expressed, “You need to put pressure on his family. Which place in New Zealand? Which university? Try to find the university Facebook groups and find people who can go to his house in New Zealand.” A third posted, “Get a lawyer to send a legal notice demanding the money and interest. Make it clear that an FIR is the next step. Once that FIR is registered, it will likely create significant hurdles for any visa applications he makes.”
A fourth wrote, “Really sorry for you. I think you have your priorities inverted right now. First, you need to deal with your guilt, forgive yourself and handle your family. Secondly, think about how to handle finances and get rid of loans. Perhaps a low-interest loan from relatives may help. Now, at last, you need to decide whether you want to take legal action against your so-called friend/fraud. Legal action is easy to say, but it takes a lot of emotional and mental energy, which is significantly more than the cost. Once you are at peace, you will be able to make better decisions further. So focus on improving your mental health.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
