Will pull out nails, chop off fingers: Man dies after 'threats' by moneylender

Police have registered a case against an unlicensed moneylender for allegedly harassing and threatening a debtor's family over a Rs 18,000 loan in Maharashtra's Thane district, news agency PTI reported.The FIR was filed after the complainant's son, who was allegedly threatened over the repayment, died at a Mumbai hospital on October 13 following acute mental stress, police said.The Tilaknagar police in Dombivli East registered an FIR against the accused, identified as 42-year-old Abid Sayyed, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Money-Lending (Regulation) Act.An official told PTI that the complainant, 60-year-old Shammu Bapumiya Pinjari, said his family had borrowed Rs 18,000 from Sayyed in May 2025. Under the loan terms, the family was required to repay Rs 300 daily for 40 days. Pinjari alleged that the family had repaid Rs 7,500 in cash instalments, but Sayyed continued to harass them over mounting interest.On October 8, the accused allegedly visited their home and threatened Pinjari's son while demanding an immediate payment of Rs 20,500 as interest. The accused allegedly warned that if the money was not paid within two days, he would pull out the young man's fingernails, rub red chilli powder into the wounds and chop off his fingers, the official said.According to the police, the young man became severely ill after the alleged threats and was taken to a hospital in Mumbai, where he died on October 13.Police are searching for Sayyed, who has been absconding since the incident.- Ends(With PTI inputs)