In a shocking incident in Tamil Nadu, a woman's desperate attempt to secure a loan led to the tragic death of her 12-year-old son. Anakamma, a 32-year-old tribal woman from the Yanadi community in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, was working as a bonded laborer along with her husband, Chenchaiah, and their three children at a duck-rearing facility. Following her husband's death, she found herself trapped in a cycle of debt and exploitation.

A local man falsely claimed that her deceased husband owed him Rs 25,000. The owner of the duck-rearing facility, identified as Muthu, offered to settle the debt on the condition that Anakamma and her family continue working for him. Grieving and penniless, Anakamma agreed, but the work soon became unbearable. When she requested higher wages or to leave, Muthu refused and allegedly inflated the debt to Rs 45,000. He coerced her into leaving her son behind as collateral until she could repay the amount.

Desperate to be reunited with her son, Anakamma worked tirelessly to gather the money. During their separation, the boy made heart-wrenching calls to his mother, pleading to be rescued and describing the harsh labor conditions he was enduring. The last call came on April 15th. Finally, in early May, Anakamma managed to collect the full amount and returned to reclaim her son. However, she was met with evasive explanations from Muthu, who claimed the boy had been sent elsewhere, was hospitalized, or had run away.

Sensing something was amiss, Anakamma sought help from tribal leaders and approached the local police. During interrogation, Muthu confessed that the boy had died and that he had secretly buried the body near his in-laws' house in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. Police arrested Muthu and exhumed the boy's body on Tuesday and have initiated a post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death.

This tragedy highlights the vulnerability of marginalized communities to exploitation by predatory lenders and the devastating consequences of debt bondage. Instances of farmers in Tamil Nadu facing harassment from loan recovery agents have also surfaced, sometimes leading to suicide. A farmer in Salem district allegedly consumed pesticide due to the aggressive behavior of loan retrieval agents, prompting the state assembly to pass a bill aimed at preventing coercive recovery practices.

This incident underscores the urgent need for stricter regulations and enforcement mechanisms to protect vulnerable populations from exploitation by unscrupulous lenders. Financial literacy programs and access to affordable credit are crucial to prevent individuals from falling into debt traps. The Tamil Nadu government has introduced initiatives such as the Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project to help women entrepreneurs secure loans and develop sustainable businesses.