Villagers protest seeking action against absconding pawn broker

According to sources, Mohan Lal from Pavunchur in Maduranthagam was running a pawnshop for seven years.

He had been also running a Diwali chit fund for the past four years. According to police, he introduced a scheme of paying Rs 1,000 every month and assured that he would give gold coin along with a silk saree, crackers and sweet a week before Diwali worth Rs 15,000.

Mohan Lal who had been following the practise of giving gift hampers for the first three years, gave them a week before the Diwali and hence, more than 800 people joined the chit funds programme on the fourth year.

Police said that in 2019, he did not provide the gifts to the people and said he would give after Diwali since the gold rate was too high.

Since the people began to enquire often, Mohan Lal vacated the house overnight in November. The shocked villagers protested in front of his shop at Anaicut after which the police promised to take action.

On Tuesday, hundreds of villagers gathered in front of the Anaicut police station and protested against the police demanding to trace the pawnbroker soon andtake action.

The protestors did not disperse until the midnight and the DSP who arrived at the spot, convinced the villagers and promised them that the pawnbroker would be traced soon. With the police assurance, the protesters dispersed.