CUDDALORE: In a brutal incident that exposes the unchecked menace of loan sharks in Tamil Nadu, a 71-year-old man was abducted and tortured by a moneylender’s gang after his son failed to repay an inflated debt. The victim, Natarajan of Chidambaram, lost a finger when the gang, allegedly led by financier Palanisamy, demanded ₹64 lakh in repayment on an original ₹6 lakh loan. According to police, Manikandan, Natarajan’s son, borrowed ₹6 lakh from Palanisamy to support his wholesale grocery business. Through unregulated interest and threats, the debt ballooned more than ten-fold. When father and son could not meet the extortionate demands, they fled to Mayiladuthurai district, but the gang tracked them down. On Sunday morning, Palanisamy’s associates abducted Natarajan from Sirkazhi. A Cuddalore Old Town Police Station team intercepted their vehicle near Cuddalore and found Natarajan severely beaten, with one finger amputated as a form of coercion. He was rushed to Cuddalore Government Hospital, where he remains under treatment. Five suspects—key associates of Palanisamy—have been arrested. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and renewed calls to crack down on illegal moneylenders. Residents of Chidambaram warn that these financiers operate as a parallel power structure: “They lend without documentation and collect with terror. What happened to Natarajan could happen to any of us,” said one local. Human rights activists and legal experts are urging the Tamil Nadu government to launch a state-wide crackdown on loan sharks and establish fast-track courts for related crimes. Natarajan’s family, still reeling from the ordeal, has one plea: “We want justice—and protection from these monsters.”
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