Pregnant woman crushed to death by recovery agent driven tractor: police

A 27-year-old pregnant woman was crushed to death under the wheels of a tractor being forcibly driven away by the recovery agent of a leading finance company in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand, a senior police official said on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday and the victim, daughter of a differently abled farmer Mithilesh Mehta of Bariyanath under Ichak police station, was three months pregnant.

District superintendent of police, Manoj Ratan Chothe said a case of murder has been registered against four persons, including the recovery agent and manager of the private finance company.

A special investigation team headed by the deputy superintendent of police (HQ) Rajeev Kumar was formed to arrest those involved, the SP old reporters.

Mehta had told the police that he had received a message on his mobile phone on Thursday from Mahindra Finance Company, from which he had taken a loan for buying the tractor, that he should pay his outstanding dues amounting Rs 1.3 lakh immediately.

The company communication had also threatened to take away the tractor, which was parked at a nearby petrol pump on NH-33, unless the money was paid. The man had immediately rushed to the spot after receiving the message and found the recovery agent already driving away the tractor, the SP said. He ran after the moving tractor and told the recovery agent that he was willing to pay Rs 1.2 lakh immediately but the man insisted that the entire due should be cleared before he got back the possession of the equipment.

Also Watch| Bihar: 11 wounded, 1 killed as bike-borne gunmen go on random shooting in Begusarai

As the recovery agent refused to listen to the man's pleas and kept driving away the tractor, his pregnant daughter, who had reached the spot, ran after it and was crushed to death under its wheels, the SP said.

A large number of villagers, mostly women, demonstrated in front of the Hazaribagh collectorate with the body on Friday and demanded the immediate arrest of the manager and recovery agent of the finance company.

They also demanded Rs 20 lakh compensation to the victim's family.

The agitation was lifted two hours after the police assured them that all the culprits will be arrested soon.

The managing director and chief executive officer of Mahindra group, Anish Shah in a statement on Friday said "We are deeply saddned and disturbed by the Hazaribagh incident ... We stand with the family in this moment of grief." He assured to investigate the incident from all aspects and also undertake an examination of the practice of using third party collection agencies that has been in existence.

"We will extend all possible support to the authorities during the investigation into this tragic incident," the statement added.