NAGPUR, Dec. 17 -- A debt-ridden farmer from a remote village in Chandrapur district was forced to sell his kidney in 2024 in a bid to repay loans taken from moneylenders. The rate of interest charged by the moneylenders was so steep that the farmer Roshan Sadashiv Kude's total liability on loans worth Rs.1 lakh has reached Rs.74 lakh, and even the Rs.8 lakh he had received by selling a kidney was not enough to settle the account, Kude told Hindustan Times. "I lost my kidney to repay the loan. I have nothing left. If I am not given justice, I will be forced to take an extreme step along with my family in front of the agriculture ministry," Kude, who lives in Minthur village under the Nagbhid tehsil, told HT, appealing to the state government for justice. Kude's plea prompted Superintendent of Police of Chandrapur, Mummaka Sudarshan, and other senior officials to visit Nagbhid on Tuesday. "We have rounded up four persons from Nagbhid in connection with the case and are questioning them," a senior police officer told HT. Kude, 42, owns four acres of farmland. Troubled by poor agricultural yields, he ventured into dairy farming about five years ago by borrowing Rs.50,000 each from two moneylenders. Though he purchased cows with the money, the animals died soon, and he was compelled to borrow more from other moneylenders to repay earlier loans, taking his total liability to Rs.74 lakh. Kude told HT that the moneylenders frequently visited his house, and used abusive language to recover their dues. In desperation, he sold two acres of his land, his tractor, and several household items. Since this was not enough, the moneylenders advised him to sell his kidney. In 2024, he was taken to Cambodia on a 20-day visa, where he underwent a surgery to remove a kidney. "I received Rs.8 lakh in return. But even then, the moneylenders said the debt was unpaid and continued to demand more money," he said. The distressed farmer said he had earlier approached the Superintendent of Police, Chandrapur, seeking action against the moneylenders. "Had action been taken earlier, I would not have been forced to sell my kidney," he said. A police officer said that Kude had approached the Chandrapur police last month to lodge a complaint. But he left when questioned about his foreign tour without giving any details, the officer said....