It is not a secret deal. It is a mutually agreed contract but the only illegal part is the higher rate of interest. The borrower is aware of this fact

A police officer who has worked in Madurai for long while terming kandhu vatti (usury) as a double-edged weapon. “No one complains as long as it is a smooth affair. Only when there is default does the real face of the lender show,” he adds. On the other hand, the lender faces the threat of the borrower taking him to the police.

Horrible screams rent the air, disrupting the usually placid atmosphere at the Tirunelveli Collectorate. Those who hurried to the scene on Monday morning beheld a chilling sight — four people, including two children, were writhing in the flames that rapidly engulfed them. After the initial shock, some of the onlookers quickly rushed to help by throwing mud on the flames, trying to put them out, before professional help arrived.

The victims were 28-year-old P. Esakkimuthu of Kasidharmam, his wife Subbulakhmi, 28, and their children, Mathi Saranya, 4, and Atchaya Baranika (18 months). Esakkimuthu had doused himself and his family members with kerosene and struck a match. He had said that he had been unfairly harassed for repayment of a loan of ₹1.45 lakh, even after paying back ₹2.34 lakh. All members of the family died of severe burns in the days that followed.

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