Allegations of payday loan harassment in India have renewed calls for RBI scrutiny and cybercrime investigations into digital lending recovery practices. Borrowers have reported repeated threatening calls, workplace intimidation, harassment of relatives and misuse of personal information. An August 2025 Mumbai police case involved allegations that manipulated intimate photographs were circulated following a short-term loan dispute. An August 2026 India Today investigation separately documented claims of more than 300 recovery calls daily. Three Bengaluru civil suits referenced in the supplied report also raise questions about lending practices, although the allegations and legal outcomes require independent examination.
Payday Loan Harassment in India: RBI, Cyber Cell Action Sought as Lending Platforms Figure in Complaints and Court Cases
Borrowers report threatening recovery calls, workplace intimidation and privacy violations. Three Bengaluru civil suits separately identify multiple lending platforms and finance companies, raising questions about recovery practices.
Payday loan harassment allegations have renewed demands for Reserve Bank of India (RBI) scrutiny and cybercrime investigations into threatening recovery practices involving digital lending platforms.
Borrowers describe persistent calls, threats against family members, workplace intimidation and demands for repayment before contractual deadlines, raising concerns about privacy, consumer protection and accountability.
In August 2025, Mumbai Police registered a complaint after a woman alleged that representatives associated with the Cash Loan application threatened to circulate digitally altered intimate photographs.
The woman reportedly received ₹1,300 against a ₹2,000 loan application, with six days allowed for repayment, but faced alleged threats before the repayment deadline.
According to Asianet Newsable, she transferred ₹2,000 to Sandesh Kumar, yet a relative and two friends subsequently received manipulated photographs, prompting a police investigation.
Loan Recovery Harassment: Hundreds of Calls and Threats
An August 19, 2026, India Today investigation documented borrowers reporting hundreds of recovery calls daily, alongside alleged intimidation, abusive language and unexpected workplace visits.
One borrower reported receiving more than 300 calls daily, illustrating the intensity of alleged recovery pressure, although the accounts do not establish industry-wide prevalence.
Separately, The Times of India reported a Gurugram bank executive’s family receiving more than 200 calls, allegedly from individuals impersonating recovery agents over several days.
The May 2026 complaint also described abusive messages and OTP spam, despite the executive reportedly having no connection with the underlying loan account.
Other borrower communications reviewed for this report describe threatening WhatsApp messages, warnings about recovery visits and demands that relatives or employers be contacted over outstanding payments.
One alleged verbal threat, “Zindagi kharab kar denge,” translates as “We’ll ruin your life,” reflecting allegations of intimidation that require independent examination of recordings and communications.
Salary Adda, Salary Setu, Tap4Credit and Other Platforms Named
Borrower complaints, repayment-extension correspondence and recovery-related communications supplied to Sprouts News reference multiple lending platforms, although their appearance does not independently establish regulatory misconduct or criminal liability.
These records identify Salary Adda, Salary Setu, Tap4Credit, Tejas Loans, Ampire Finance Private Limited, PaisaBoxx, Turant Loan, Duniya Finance, SalaryOnTime, CreditSea, SnapPaisa and F1 Speed Loan.
Additional references include Fast Paise, First Paise, DigiCredit, FinanceBabu, My Money Bazaar, Lendingplate, Loan Is On, RupeeRedee, KreditBee, MyFlot, MobiKwik, Bright Loans, Credme and CredNidhi.
Other names include Finance Setu, TezCredit, Zapcash, Meghdoot Mercantile Private Limited, Innotech CreditSea Platforms Private Limited, Weekline Investment and Trading Company Limited, Bansal In-Hold Limited, BalanceHero, Focus Industrial and Sawalsha.
A payment-related email address also references Cashfree. These records concern different borrowers and transactions; the involvement or responsibility of individual organisations requires separate verification.
Bengaluru Civil Court Suits Identify Multiple Lending Entities
Three Bengaluru City Civil Court suits, identified in the supplied case-status extracts, list lending platforms and finance companies as respondents, with procedural hearings scheduled during November 2026.
O.S. 6654/2026, CNR KABC010274972026, lists FincFriends, F1 Speed Loan (Ampire Finance), CredNidhi (Money Flow Portfolio Pvt Ltd), Toofan Loan, First Paise (Ampire Finance), Rupee Plant and RupeeOnTime.
The supplied entry records the matter at the notice stage, with November 7, 2026, shown as the next hearing date, subject to official verification.
O.S. 4474/2026, CNR KABC010179442026, identifies ECS Credit Yaksh Infinlease Private Limited, Creditwalle, Credinline, Snap Paisa, Fastpaisa, FISPEED Loan, Salary Loans, Rupyalelo, Dhanwalle, RupeeCare and ActoLoan.
The entries additionally associate Snap Paisa, Fastpaisa and FISPEED Loan with Ampire Finance, while identifying November 19, 2026, as the next scheduled summons-stage hearing.
O.S. 1302/2026, CNR KABC010050462026, includes Kasar Credit and Capital, Solomon Capitals, Digner Finlease and Investment, Agarwal Assignments, Achievers Finance India, Ramachandra Leasing and Finance, and Sawalsha Leasing and Finance.
Further respondents listed are Niskha Finance, Devmuni Leasing and Finance, Mahashakti Financiers, Naman Commodities, Daytoday Loan, Ampire Finance, UY Fincorp, Junoon Capital Services and Diniya Finance.
The remaining names are Salary Sethu, Meghdoot Mercantile, Everpay and Surya Loan. The supplied entry identifies November 28, 2026, as the next summons-stage hearing.
Importantly, respondent listings do not establish wrongdoing, and substantive allegations cannot be determined without examining pleadings, responses, judicial orders and independently authenticated case records.
Also Read: ED Searches 7 Sites in Delhi, Kolkata Over ₹1,500 Crore Money Laundering Probe
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh High Court Proceedings
On July 19, 2023, Karnataka High Court Justice M. Nagaprasanna partly allowed Naman Finlease Private Limited’s petition in W.P. 13963/2023 concerning its frozen bank account.
The court quashed the freezing direction because statutory reporting requirements were not followed, while permitting the investigating officer to undertake further lawful action.
Separately, a September 13, 2023, Andhra Pradesh High Court bail order cited prosecution allegations involving PEPI Loan App, Petty Cash and manipulated photographs.
The court granted conditional bail to two accused, according to the supplied account; those allegations must not be interpreted as judicial findings establishing guilt.
RBI Recovery Rules and Cybercrime Investigations
RBI instructions prohibit covered regulated lenders and their agents from intimidating borrowers, making persistent threatening calls, publicly humiliating individuals or intruding upon relatives’ privacy.
The August 2022 recovery-agent circular also restricts calls before 8 am and after 7 pm, reinforcing lenders’ responsibility for outsourced collection activities.
Investigators should examine repayment schedules, call recordings, WhatsApp messages, agent assignments and payment trails to establish whether suspected extortion or unauthorised recovery activity occurred.
Borrowers can report suspected cybercrime through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and call 1930 promptly when suspected financial cyber fraud involves money transfers.
Complaints against regulated lenders should first reach their designated grievance officers, with eligible unresolved matters proceeding through the RBI’s complaint management and ombudsman framework.
The Reserve Bank’s Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026, effective July 1, provides an avenue for eligible complaints following unsatisfactory responses or the prescribed waiting period.
The next priority is independent verification of recovery-agent identities, borrower communications and court documents, alongside regulatory scrutiny wherever credible evidence indicates violations of established safeguards.
Sprouts News asked (for a quote) SalaryAdda to respond to a borrower’s allegations of repeated recovery calls and harassment, and to explain the reported annual interest rate of 365%; they have not yet responded.
