Kochi: P.B. Saji has been running a vegetable stall at the Ernakulam market for over a decade. Many a time, he was forced to cough up exorbitant interest to money-lenders, mostly Tamil blade mafia.

However, things have changed for the better as the Tamil money-lending lobby, which used to lend money on a weekly basis, has been forced to close operations in many parts of the city as vouched by Saji. Thanks to Operation Kubera!

“The merchants need cash at a short notice and fall easy prey to the lobby. The lenders first lure the victims by giving money at Rs 1 per Rs 100 per week as interest.

Though it appears to be a small amount, the victims often end up paying double the amount and any fault in payment would invite violent action. However, the strong action taken by the cops has yielded results,” says Saji.

While a total of 33 cases involving Tamil blade mafia were registered in 2013, they were also the accused in nearly half of the 180 money-lending cases registered last year, as per the figures with the District Crime Records Bureau.

“From the middle of last year, there has been a sharp decline of the Tamil blade mafia as a fallout of Operation Kubera, the drive against private money-lenders,” said Mr Muhammed Rafique, Deputy Police Commissioner (Crimes).

A victim, Ajith S. Nair, Karithara Nivas, LAG colony, Gandhi Nagar, recalls an incident of December 2013. “My father had borrowed Rs 4,000 from a person named Thampi about 16 months ago.

As interest alone, my father was paying around Rs 400 every month. However, Thampi came to my residence demanding Rs 2,000 one fine morning.

As we could not pay it, he came on Friday night and threatened my father. We said we would call police. He then left and soon came with two others and started assaulting me. They finally left when I lost consciousness,” he said.