Loan racket: One more suspect held

The accused was identified as Johnson (25) of Vyasarpadi. He worked as the bouncer for the kingpin of the racket, who still remains at large. The police said that Johnson, a diploma holder, joined the gang as a call centre employee. While his job initially was to make calls to people in the guise of offering loans for cheaper interest rates, he gained confidence of his ‘boss’ and became close to him.

While Johnson was given just Rs 12,000 a month as salary, he was given hefty incentives as the main accused also used him for his personal work. The money looted from their ‘customers’ was diverted to the kingpin’s account through Johnson’s account. He was remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday. Among the other accused, Venkatesh of Kondithope, an engineering graduate, was the second-in-command of the racket. The main accused who has been absconding will be nabbed soon, police added.