LAHORE: The Lahore Police have arrested 49 suspects and registered 43 cases at various police stations across the city in a fresh round of action against usurers, according to a statement issued by the spokesperson for Lahore Police.
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore Bilal Siddique Kamyana said in a statement issued on Wednesday that legal action would be taken against those resorting to hooliganism in the name of recovery.
Issuing orders to intensify the crackdown, the CCPO said victims of usury would be provided legal assistance and protection. He directed that action against usurers and their facilitators continue, reiterating his resolve that the operation would go on until the elimination of the usury mafia.
The current figures build on an ongoing campaign. Earlier this month, a divisional performance review chaired by the CCPO was informed that 21 suspects involved in the illegal practice of usury had been arrested, with instructions issued to show no leniency and to ensure prompt justice and full protection for victims.
Separately, DIG Operations Lahore Faisal Kamran heard citizens’ complaints directly at an open kutchehry and issued orders to the officers concerned for immediate redress.
Complaints of varying nature were brought before the forum, including usury, domestic violence, disputes between landlords and tenants, financial dealings and quarrels. The officers concerned were directed to verify the facts and take strict action in accordance with the law.
Ordering that action against harassers be ensured without discrimination and that the protection of women be prioritised, the DIG Operations said effective action must be taken against illegal businesses such as usury and against elements disturbing law and order. The basic purpose of the open kutchehry, he said, was to give citizens an opportunity to be heard directly and to ensure immediate resolution of their problems, adding that action on merit and the provision of justice were the foremost priorities of Lahore Police.
Informal lending operates in a legal grey zone in Pakistan, and complaints typically surface not at the point of borrowing but at the point of recovery — when informal lenders deploy threats, confinement, seizure of documents or public humiliation to extract repayment. That is the conduct the CCPO’s statement identifies: coercive recovery rather than lending itself.
Borrowers in such arrangements are often reluctant to approach police, either because they fear reprisal or because they believe their own conduct in taking the loan puts them at legal risk. The offer of legal assistance and protection to victims is aimed at that hesitation, since cases in this category tend to collapse without complainants willing to testify.
The measure of the campaign will be conviction rates rather than arrest tallies. With 43 FIRs now registered, the progress of those cases through investigation and prosecution — and whether facilitators are charged alongside principal accused, as the CCPO has directed — will indicate whether the operation is disrupting networks or only their front-line collectors.
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