Silchar Woman Accuses Loan Shark of Extortion, Threats, Cheque Misuse

A disturbing case of alleged extortion, harassment and illegal moneylending has emerged in Silchar after a woman from Malugram filed a detailed complaint against one Suman Nath, accusing him of trapping her family in crippling debt and threatening them with violence over several years. The accused, who allegedly operated as a loan shark, was produced before the court on Thursday (November 20) after being picked up by Cachar Police.

According to the complaint submitted by the resident of Malugram, her family had borrowed Rs. 1,00,000 in 2019 during a severe financial crisis caused by her mother-in-law’s prolonged illness. The complainant’s husband is an employee of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, and the family includes their only daughter.

The complainant alleged that the accused, Suman Nath, charged a monthly interest of 5%, taking advantage of their helpless situation. She further claimed that Nath forced her husband to hand over his ATM card along with the security pin, several blank signed cheques, and signed blank white papers — allegedly using them later to threaten the family.

Between 2019 and 2024, the family repaid approximately Rs. 5,00,000 (as per the written complaint), yet the accused continued to allegedly harass and intimidate them. In her FIR, the complainant stated that any delay in paying interest would result in threats of violence, with the accused even boasting of political and police influence. “He threatened to abduct our daughter if we resisted or reported his activities,” she wrote, adding that the ongoing harassment caused severe mental distress.

The situation escalated when Nath allegedly misused one of the signed blank cheques, filled in an arbitrary amount, and deliberately caused it to bounce. This was followed by a false cheque-bounce case filed against her husband, the complaint states. Out of fear, the complainant said she was forced to pay Rs. 1,80,000 in cash, but not before obtaining a written declaration from the accused acknowledging receipt of the money. She noted that Nath refused to accept bank transfers and demanded cash only.

The complainant stated that if the accused’s mobile phones and laptop’s forensic examination would expose a “large-scale illegal moneylending racket” and multiple cheque-bounce cases allegedly filed against innocent borrowers using documents obtained under duress.

Cachar Police confirmed that Nath was apprehended and produced before the court on Thursday.

As per our sources, he was later released on bail. However, an investigation into the allegations continues.

It is worth mentioning here that, in early 2024, the Assam Government launched a major statewide crackdown on illegal moneylenders—locally known as loan sharks or hudkhoors—following rising complaints of harassment, intimidation and predatory interest rates that reportedly ranged from 120% to 360% annually. Under this operation, Assam Police arrested over 122 individuals involved in unlicensed moneylending and seized large quantities of incriminating material, including cash, gold jewellery, land mortgage deeds, blank cheques, loan agreements and bank passbooks.