This Maharashtra farmer was forced to sell his kidney by private moneylenders as ₹1 Lakh loan turned to ₹74 Lakh debt trap

In a shocking case of alleged financial exploitation in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district, a marginal farmer claims he was forced to sell his kidney in Cambodia to escape crushing debt and harassment by private moneylenders.

Maharashtra farmer forced to sell kidney to repay loan

Roshan Sadashiv Kule, a resident of Minthur village in Nagbhid taluka, has filed a police complaint against six private moneylenders, accusing them of driving him to the extreme step through sustained coercion, abuse, and illegal lending practices.

Acting on his complaint, Brahmapuri police have arrested all six accused and registered multiple serious offences.

According to police, Kule approached Brahmapuri police station on Tuesday, alleging that between 2021 and June 2023, the accused — Manish Purushottam Ghatbandhe, Kishor Rambhau Bawankule, Laxman Pundalik Urkule, Pradip Rambhau Bawankule, Sanjay Vithoba Ballarpure, and Satyavan Ramratan Borkar, operated an illegal moneylending racket.

Kule, who owns four acres of farmland and runs a small dairy operation, said repeated crop failures caused by erratic weather had severely eroded his income.

With formal credit inaccessible, he borrowed ₹1 lakh in 2021 to treat his ailing cows, hoping to stabilise his finances.

However, the lender allegedly charged exorbitant interest. Even after repaying the amount, Kule claims the lender falsely asserted that the principal was still unpaid and pushed him to borrow again from another moneylender at even higher rates.

Soon, Kule was trapped in a network of lenders allegedly charging interest as high as 40% per month.

With declining farm output, his liabilities soared rapidly. What began as a small loan eventually went up to a staggering ₹74 lakh, he alleged.

The complaint states that the moneylenders repeatedly visited his home, subjected him to mental and physical harassment, confined him illegally, and assaulted him to recover money.

In desperation, Kule sold two acres of land, his tractor, and household belongings, but the debt remained unpaid.

Left with no options, Kule claims he decided to sell his kidney. After searching online, he contacted a doctor from Chennai, was sent to Kolkata for medical tests, and later travelled to Cambodia through an agent.

He underwent kidney removal surgery on October 14, 2024, and received ₹8 lakh, which barely eased his liabilities but permanently altered his life.

Police inspector Pramod Banbale said further investigation is underway under the supervision of Chandrapur Superintendent of Police Mumakka Sudarshan.

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