A dispute over a Rs 9 lakh loan ended in bloodshed in Chennai, where a man identified as Pradeep was hacked to death on Wednesday night.
A man identified as Pradeep was hacked to death in Chennai last night, allegedly following a dispute over a Rs 9 lakh loan between two families.
Investigators say the loan was taken by his mother, and the lender’s son is suspected of attacking him after his own mother allegedly attempted suicide over the unpaid debt. The murder has now triggered questions over an alleged threat to Pradeep’s life by a police inspector. In an unverified and undated video that NDTV cannot independently verify, Pradeep himself alleges that the Tiruvottiyur police inspector threatened to kill him when he was summoned to the station. He then alleges that the inspector threatened him, saying: “I’ll break your limbs. I will shoot you dead. I will hack you to death and dissolve the ashes in Tiruchendur. Police Deny Threat Allegation A police officer who spoke to NDTV denied Pradeep’s allegations against the inspector. “The inspector had only summoned both sides and warned. Police claim the inspector had warned both sides as they anticipated trouble between the two groups. Udhayanidhi Demands Action The murder has also become a political flashpoint, with senior Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin demanding action against the Tiruvottiyur inspector and others responsible. He referred to Pradeep’s alleged video, saying the young man had claimed that the inspector threatened him after he sought protection over the loan dispute. He also accused the TVK government of diverting questions on law and order in the Assembly by referring to the Sarkaria Commission report and Enforcement Directorate cases. Udhayanidhi demanded that cases be registered against the Tiruvottiyur inspector and everyone responsible, and that those found guilty be brought to justice. DMK Steps Up Law And Order Attack The murder comes amid an intensified DMK attack on the ruling TVK government in the Assembly over what the opposition describes as a deterioration in law and order. The DMK had raised allegations of rising murders, crimes against women and custodial deaths citing numbers, while criticising Chief Minister Vijay’s handling of law and order issues. Police however say it was not case of usury.
Th murder also exposes the possibility of usurious money lending as the man who died in the unverified VIDEO claims to have paid 18 lakh totally.
Pradeep is heard saying that the inspector told him there was information that both sides could “hack each other”. Pradeep further alleges that the inspector told him he would not remain alive and threatened to file a false case against him. There was no police protection sought nor life threat shared,” the officer said. In a statement on X, Udhayanidhi said it was “deeply shocking” that another brutal murder had taken place in Chennai. Udhayanidhi questioned whether police officials considered Chief Minister Vijay, who holds the Home portfolio, a “dummy Chief Minister”. Later Chief Minister Vijay blamed it on unchecked drug abuse by the DMK regime that has led to rise in crimes which his government will ultimately fix While Minister Aadhav Arjuna immediately claimed during the DMK regime the data on murder was maintained at the 2020 level of 1597 in 2021 and 2022 with what he called “no transparency”.
