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Bhopal: A young hotel manager from Gwalior narrowly escaped prolonged captivity after a smartwatch helped him alert his family. At the same time, he was being held hostage over a loan dispute, shedding light on the growing menace of illegal money lending in parts of Madhya Pradesh.
The incident unfolded in Gwalior district, where 25 year old Saurabh Sharma, a resident of Koteshwar Colony, was allegedly abducted and assaulted by two local moneylenders over what police described as an inflated repayment demand.
Sharma works as a hotel manager in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, and had returned to his hometown on leave only days before the ordeal.
According to the police investigation, Sharma had borrowed Rs 2.90 lakh from two men identified as Hemant Sharma, also known as Chhotu Tyagi, and Sachin Tyagi. Over time, Sharma repaid around Rs 3.20 lakh, exceeding the principal amount. Despite this, the moneylenders allegedly continued to calculate compound interest and raised the total demand to Rs 6 lakh. When Sharma expressed his inability to meet the revised amount, the pressure intensified and threats reportedly followed.
Trouble escalated when Sharma encountered the two men near his residence. They asked him to accompany them on a motorcycle. When he declined, he was allegedly forced onto the vehicle and taken to Sachin Tyagi’s house. There, he was confined to a room and physically assaulted as the accused attempted to coerce him into arranging the demanded money.
After the assault, Sharma was locked inside the room, cut off from outside contact. In a moment that would prove crucial to his survival, he noticed a smartwatch lying nearby, reportedly belonging to one of the accused. Demonstrating remarkable presence of mind, Sharma used the device to place a call to his girlfriend. He informed her that he had been abducted, shared his location and urgently asked for help.
The call triggered immediate action. Sharma’s girlfriend contacted his father, who rushed to the local police station and lodged a complaint. Police officers moved swiftly, detaining Hemant Sharma for questioning. Under sustained pressure from the police, Hemant contacted his accomplice, following which Sachin Tyagi released the captive.
Sharma was rescued safely and later provided a detailed statement to the authorities. Both accused were subsequently arrested and produced before a court, which sent them to judicial custody.
Senior police officials in Gwalior confirmed that the case involved illegal money lending practices and the charging of exorbitant interest. The incident has drawn attention to the vulnerability of young workers who fall into debt traps and the violent methods sometimes used by unregulated lenders to recover money.
Police have stated that further investigation is under way to determine whether the accused were involved in similar cases and to identify other victims who may have been intimidated into silence.
