<![CDATA[The Nilgiris district police are continuing to act against usurers and loan sharks, with a list of moneylenders across the district being prepared so that local police can ensure that impoverished families and small farmers are not charged exorbitant interest rates. The clampdown, which began with a series of meetings held earlier this month across the Nilgiris, which encouraged victims of usury to come forward and register their complaints with the police led to a total of 17 such complaints being handed over in the form of petitions to the district police, said the Nilgiris Superintendent of Police, Mr. Murali Rambha. Of the 17 complaints, police registered cases against six money lenders – three cases in Udhagamandalam, two in Coonoor and one in Gudalur. Further, the police were collecting evidence and were investigating the other complaints as well, said the district SP. In order to ensure that small money lenders do not charge exorbitant interest rates from small farmers and people needing emergency loans, the district police have begun identifying both registered and unregistered moneylenders across the district, so that their activities can be monitored and checks can be instituted to prevent them from exploiting people who approach them for loans. Thus far, the police have identified 60 such moneylenders and have collected details of their names, phone numbers and other contact information and also about the number of people who have taken loans from them. Mr. Rambha said that the local police have been asked to keep a tab on the moneylenders and ensure that they do not charge exorbitant interest on loans disbursed to people.]]>
