PTI

Mumbai, Oct 1: The state government has directed police to crack down on recovery agents of private banks who harass borrowers, deputy chief minister R R Patil said here.
  
"The state government will apply the same policy to recovery agents as the one against moneylenders fleecing farmers", Patil said while speaking at a convention organized by his party's Labour Cell in suburban Andheri on Sunday September 30.
  
Patil, who holds the Home portfolio, was responding to a demand made by senior NCP leader and Public Works Department (PWD) minister Chhagan Bhujbal, earlier at the function.
   
Bhujbal had said that it was necessary to take action on the recovery agents on the lines of the moneylenders.
  
NCP chief Sharad Pawar was scheduled to address the convention but could not do so as he had to rush for another meeting, party sources said.

Patil's warning of action against recovery agents comes after one of the debtors of ICICI Bank committed suicide here a fortnight ago, allegedly due to coercive tactics used by the bank's recovery agents.
   
Following a public outcry, the bank announced ex-gratia payment of Rs 15.50 lakh to the family of the deceased.

Sarwankar, a resident of suburban Andheri, ended his life at his residence on September 17 after the visit of some recovery agents to his place, police had said.
   
Sarwankar, who is survived by his wife and three daughters, was unemployed and had taken a loan of Rs 50,000 from the private bank.
   
He had left a suicide note saying he was ending his life due to the harassment by the bank's recovery agents.