After the government asked all the loan shark victims across the country to file a complaint, the number of complaints against loan sharks spiked in the Saptari district.
After the Ministry of Ho\me Affairs formed the task force and asked the victims to register complaints by August 21, the victims in the district have now started filing complaints at the District Administration Office in the hope of getting justice.
Chemical Paswan of Khadak Municipality 6, Secretary of the Saptari Loan Shark struggle committee, said that 17 victims have filed complaints so far and five others are preparing to do the same.
Paswan, one of the victims, said that after the instructions were given by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, the police intensified their activities on the complaints registered.
He said that although there were hundreds of victims in Saptari, only a few of them fought for justice. Most of the victims have filed written complaints against Ram Dev Sah (Sahu) of the district’s Khadak Municipality-7. Prior to this, the complaint against Sahu was filed on October 7, 2021. But the police administration took no action against him.
But things have changed now. After the government and the media persistently raised the matter, the police have now shown the initiative to book Sah, who has been on the run.
The police arrested Sah’s son Nanda Kishore Sah and daughter Anuradha Sah who are currently in custody.
Saptari Police Spokesman and Deputy Superintendent of Police Madhav Prasad Kafle said that the search was on for Sah and other absconding family members.
The Sah family is accused of charging high-interest rates by mortgaging the land and not returning the mortgage even after most of the borrowers paid the interest.
Nine people from Saptari have jointly filed a case of fraud under Chapter 21 of the Criminal (Code) Act 2017. The District Administration Office has informed that four more people have filed a complaint at the office till Tuesday.
Paswan on different dates had taken Rs. 1.6 million in loan from Ram Dev. But Ram Dev has been claiming that Paswan has to pay Rs. 6 million alone in interest and Rs. 7.6 million in loan and interest combined and has put a condition to release his land after he pays all the amount.
Permanent resident of Khadak Municipality-7, Ram Dev is currently living in Dharan of Sunsari.
Hundreds of people from low-income families have been left in the lurch after their lands were grabbed after they failed to pay off the loan and the interest it entailed.
Locals have also said that most of the villagers had taken loans from him to send their children abroad, and some for doing personal business.
Bacha Lal Sah of Khadak Municipality had 14 kathas and 13 hours of the land but now he is almost a squatter. In order to increase business, he took a loan of Rs. 400,000 for the first time in 2016 by passing 12 Katha and 13 hours of his land in Sahu’s name. Bacha Lal has so far paid Rs. 2.8 million in interest but still Rs. 400,000 loans taken seven years ago has not been settled, he said.
Source : TRN,
