SHILLONG: In a tragic incident, a 41-year-old woman who could not repay loans taken from money lenders was forced to commit suicide in the city on Tuesday morning.
Her relatives informed that the woman identified as Alisiorda Mawlein hanged herself in her residence at Polo. Family members alleged that some money lenders were putting pressure on her to repay the loan with huge interest which forced the woman to end her life.
The woman had a vegetable shop in Polo and family members showed some records which indicated that she had taken an amount of Rs 50000 from one Juliana Nongynrih as loan and in three years, she paid an amount of Rs 3,60,000 to Nongynrih. She had also taken loan from other people ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 20,000 and even Rs 40,000 and family members alleged that the she had taken loans at a massive interest rate of 20 percent.
This is perhaps the first reported incident of someone ending life due to inability to pay loans. The post-mortem had been conducted and the body will be laid to rest on Wednesday.
Earlier during March budget session, the UDP legislator Jemino Mawthoh sought the intervention of Government to take action against exploitative loan sharks. While Mawthoh suggested that State Government should take steps to ensure registration of money lenders and receivers, the Government had assured that stringent legislation will be framed to regulate such economic activities.
