Jharkhand: Pregnant Woman Crushed To Death By Loan Recovery Agent Seizing Farmer's Tractor

In a tragic incident, a pregnant woman was crushed to death under a tractor allegedly by a recovery agent who was forcibly taking the vehicle away.

The incident happened in Bariyanath under Ichak Police Station in Hazaribag district on Thursday.

ANI

The 27-year-old woman who was three months pregnant was crushed under the tractor while trying to stop the recovery agent from taking it away.

The farmer had an outstanding loan of Rs 1.3 lakhs

The woman's father, identified as Mithilesh Mehta, a disabled farmer, had an outstanding loan of Rs 1.3 lakh with Mahindra Finance Company for his tractor.

On Thursday he received a message from Mahindra Finance asking him to pay Rs 1.3 lakh, failing which the tractor will be seized.

Mehta immediately rushed to the spot to save his tractor and found the recovery agent already driving it away.

He ran after the moving tractor and told the recovery agent that he was willing to pay Rs 1.2 lakh immediately but the man insisted that he must clear the entire dues if he wanted possession of the tractor.

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Vehicle seized without informing

As the recovery agent refused to listen to the man's pleas and kept driving away the tractor, his pregnant daughter, who had reached the spot, ran after it and was crushed to death under its wheels.

A relative of the victim said that the loan recovery agents went to the farmer's home without informing him.

"She came in front of the tractor and when an argument broke out they crushed her to death. She was later brought dead to the hospital," a relative told ANI.

Police also said that they were not informed by the officials of the finance company before going to the residence of the victim for the recovery of the tractor.

Family protest, demand compensation

Following her death, locals and the family of the victim held a protest demanding the immediate arrest of the manager and recovery agent.

They also demanded Rs 20 lakh compensation for the victim's family.

District superintendent of police Manoj Ratan Chothe said a case of murder has been registered against four people, including the recovery agent and manager of Mahindra Finance.

BCCL

Mahindra issues statement

Reacting to the incident, the managing director and chief executive officer of Mahindra group, Anish Shah on Friday said that the company would investigate all aspects.

"We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the Hazaribagh incident. A human tragedy has occurred. We will undertake an examination of the practice of using third-party collection agencies that have been in existence," Shah said in a statement.

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