Loan nightmare: Maharashtra farmer forced to sell kidney in Cambodia as Rs 1 lakh debt soars to Rs 74 lakh; 6 held

CHANDRAPUR: A marginal farmer from Minthur village in Chandrapur's Nagbhid taluka, Roshan Sadashiv Kule, filed a police complaint against six private moneylenders from whom he had borrowed money in 2021 at exorbitant interest rates, was driven to sell his kidney to escape repeated harassment and coercion by them.

According to Bramhapuri police, Kule approached Brahmapuri police station on Tuesday and lodged a formal complaint alleging prolonged harassment and abuse by a group of moneylenders. In his statement, Kule alleged that between 2021 and June 2023, six accused — Manish Purushottam Ghatbandhe, Kishor Rambhau Bawankule, Laxman Pundalik Urkule, Pradip Rambhau Bawankule, Sanjay Vithoba Ballarpure, and Satyavan Ramratan Borkar, all residents of Brahmapuri — acted in collusion to run an illegal money lending operation.

The local police summoned Kule for inquiry and promised action against those responsible for his plight. Based on the complainant's statement, an offence was registered at Brahmapuri police station for criminal conspiracy, grievous hurt, wrongful confinement, extortion, criminal intimidation, and common intention. All six accused named in the complaint have been taken into custody.


According to the complaint, the accused charged exorbitant and unlawful rates of interest on loans advanced to him. Kule alleged that he was subjected to sustained financial exploitation, mental harassment, and physical abuse as part of their efforts to extort money from him.

According to police complaint, Kule owned four acres of farmland and repeated crop failures triggered by erratic weather patterns eroded his farm income over the years, pushing him towards borrowing money from private moneylenders after formal credit avenues proved inaccessible.

Kule borrowed Rs 1 lakh from a moneylender in 2021 for the treatment of his ailing cows at his small dairy operation with a hope to stabilise his finances. The first moneylender charged exorbitant interest rates. Kule somehow managed to return the money, but the lender insisted that the principal amount was still due and took him to another moneylender, where Kule was forced to borrow more money at a higher interest rate to pay the first lender. Kule soon got trapped into a nexus of moneylenders who went on to charge a staggering 40% monthly interest on the principal amount. With agricultural output also failing, his liabilities grew rapidly, Kule said in his complaint.

What began as a modest loan spiralled to a staggering Rs 74 lakh, allegedly due to exorbitant interest rates. As the debt mounted, the moneylenders allegedly visited Kule's home frequently, subjecting him to harassment. The moneylenders allegedly kept Kule captive and thrashed him brutally to recover their money, he alleged.

In a desperate bid to escape the debt trap, the farmer sold two acres of land, his tractor, and household belongings. But none of it proved enough to repay his debts.

In such a situation, Kule made a desperate decision to sell his kidney to clear the dues. Kule searched online for kidney seekers and came in contact with a doctor from Chennai. The doctor summoned him to Kolkata for medical tests who later sent him to Cambodia through an agent where he underwent surgery to remove kidney on October 14, 2024. He claims to have received Rs 8 lakh for the organ — an amount that barely met his liabilities but left his life scarred.

Further investigation is underway by police inspector Pramod Banbale of Brahmapuri police station under the supervision of Chandrapur SP Mumakka Sudarshan.