Cops’ spouses big time usurers in police quarters?

The government was forced to enact the law after usury led to several suicides and the destruction of many families in the state. The Chennai city police intelligence wing has already prepared and submitted a report regarding illegal money lending by the wives of policemen. Mostly the wives of police inspectors engage in the practice in police quarters located in the city. 

A few years ago, the Central Crime Branch of the city police had arrested the wife of a policeman after she tortured the families of other policemen for not repaying the interest on the loans they had taken from her. The police were forced to arrest the accused when the affected families staged a road blockade at Egmore demanding action against the woman, who was a resident of the Nariangad police quarters at Pudupet. 

According to sources, the practise of illegal money lending by charging exorbitant interest rates is rampant in almost all the police quarters in the city. The wives use the money brought home by their husbands from undisclosed sources to run the money lending business. The problems that arise between the money lender and customers, most of whom are wives of lower ranked policemen, are also very common.

“This issue has been reported but we are waiting for complaints to be filed before taking action,” a senior police official said. The intelligence wing had submitted this report earlier but the previous city commissioners decided not to act upon it. “This is a disciplined force. So we try not to reveal such issues regarding policemen to the public. So, even when an affected party approaches the police station, the officials try to settle the issue amicably,” another senior police official said. According to sources, several lakhs of rupees was being lent in the police quarters and no investigation was being carried out regarding the source of the money. 

Some policemen who oppose such practices claiming that several families were being ruined due to this illegal trade. “Black money is being circulated like this and vigilance wing should investigate the source of such income,” another policeman said. When contacted a top city police official said, “Awareness regarding this practice needs to be created first amongst the policemen and if the problem still persists we will be taking action.”