In the midst of leading an unprecedented drug buster for the past few months across Tamil Nadu where the police have seized a pile of illegal drugs, Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police (DGP) C Sylendra Babu has launched his next big operation and this time, his mission is to curb the growing crime of usury, where several people are imposed a humongous rate of interest by the moneylenders. 

Sylendra Babu has on Tuesday- June 7 ordered the launch of 'Operation Kanthvatti' across the state. His new operation against the usury has come hours after a police constable had died by suicide due to harassment by a moneylender in the Cuddalore district. According to reports, as per the operation, Commissioners and Superintendents of Police have been directed to take up the cases of usury pending at all police stations under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest Act, 2003, against the suspects.

The police officers across the state are instructed to launch searches at suspected locations after obtaining legal opinion and informing the jurisdictional courts to seize incriminating documents, valuables, property documents, signed blank cheques, promissory notes, and securities that the victims of usury might have pledged to borrow at exorbitant rates of interest.

Sylendra Babu has advised the police officers to have a thorough follow-up action and successful prosecution of usury cases and further said that the officers who have done exemplary works in Operation Kanthuvatti would be recognized. The operation has gained major attention even as the state has been witnessing the deaths over the usury and torture by the moneylenders to the debtors. 

M Selvakumar, a police constable in the Cuddalore district, had committed suicide by consuming poison. He was serving at the Xth Tamil Nadu Special Police Battalion, Ulundurpettai, had borrowed Rs 5 lakh from a moneylender at Mathuvanaimedu in Cuddalore in 2020. Selvakumar had signed black stamp papers as his assurance to repaying the loan. Selvakumar had repaid Rs 3 lakh by bank transfer and Rs 2 lakh in cash. 

However, it has then opened to a shocking revelation that the moneylender had made entries in the blank stamp papers to make out that Selvakumar had received Rs 12 lakh in loan. The moneylender went on to pressure Selvakumar to settle the remaining money. The moneylender had lodged a complaint against Selvakumar and the crime branch police asked Selvakumar to repay the loan money to get rid of the legal action.  

As Selvakumar was unable to bear the pressure, he had consumed poison on June 1. Selvakumar was admitted to a hospital where he died on Tuesday - June 7. A case has been filed against the moneylender and the police have taken him into custody. Hours after the demise of police constable Selvakumar, DGP Sylendra Babu has constituted a mission and launched an operation of busting the usury menace across the state.