Loan app harassment complaint process: steps and documents
By Advocate Panchanand Shaw, Bar Council of West Bengal · Published 1 Nov 2026 · Court process
A loan app harassment complaint needs three filings in the first three days: a call to 1930, a written complaint on cybercrime.gov.in, and a dispute with your bank. Then a police complaint under BNSS 2023 section 173. If no FIR follows, apply to the magistrate under section 175(3).
The order of filing matters more than the length of the complaint. Most victims write one long letter to the app's customer care and wait. That achieves nothing, because the app is the offender. The complaint has to go to bodies that can freeze money, order takedown and register an offence. Each body needs a different document set, and each has its own clock.
What follows is the sequence that works in practice, with the documents to keep ready at each stage. It is written for a borrower facing calls to family and colleagues, but the same order applies where only the borrower is being contacted.
Step one: stop the bleeding and secure the record
Before filing anything, capture what the app has and what it has done. Open the app and screenshot the permission list, the loan agreement, the sanction amount, the fee deducted and the repayment schedule. Export the collection chats and record the threatening calls. Save the app store listing with the developer name. Do not uninstall the app yet, and do not delete the call log.
Then stop the payment channel. If the repayment is on an auto-debit or a UPI mandate, revoke the mandate through your bank or the UPI app. Do not pay the inflated demand under pressure. If you choose to pay the principal and the disclosed interest, pay by bank transfer so there is a record, and write on the transfer note that it is a payment under protest.
Tell the people being contacted. A short message saying your data was stolen by a fraudulent loan app and that any demand from unknown numbers is extortion removes most of the blackmail value. This is not a legal step, but it changes the leverage immediately.
Step two: call 1930 and file on the portal
The national cyber crime helpline, 1930, feeds the same system as cybercrime.gov.in. Call it the same day and note the reference number. Then file a written complaint on the portal under the category for financial fraud or online harassment. The complaint should identify the app, the developer, the loan amount, the fee deducted, the accounts used for disbursement and repayment, and the numbers that made the threats.
The portal complaint is what allows the cyber cell to request account freezing and subscriber details. A complaint made only at a police station may sit in a general diary while the money moves. The portal creates a digital trail with timestamps that later supports the police complaint.
Attach the screenshots and the bank statement. Keep the acknowledgement. If the portal rejects the complaint for a formatting reason, correct it and refile the same day; do not start a new complaint with a new narrative.
Step three: dispute with the bank and the payment gateway
Write to the bank's nodal officer, not the branch, and mark a copy to the payment gateway that processed the transaction. State that the debits were made under coercion and that the collection conduct is extortion. Attach the 1930 reference and the portal acknowledgement. Ask the bank to block further debits, to place a lien on the receiving account and to investigate the beneficiary.
The RBI directions on limiting customer liability in unauthorised electronic transactions govern how the bank must handle a disputed transfer. The bank has to acknowledge the complaint, investigate and decide within the prescribed period. If the bank rejects the dispute or does not respond, the next step is the RBI's complaint management system, after the bank's internal grievance process is exhausted.
Where the app is a regulated lender, the RBI also takes complaints about recovery practices. Where it is not regulated, the bank and the cyber cell are the only effective pressure points.
Step four: the police complaint under BNSS section 173
File a written complaint at the police station that has jurisdiction, or at any station under the proviso to section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which permits a zero FIR. The complaint should name the offences plainly: extortion under section 308 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, criminal intimidation under section 351, cheating under section 318, and under the Information Technology Act, 2000, sections 66C, 66D, 66E and 67 where images were circulated.
Ask for a receipt with the FIR number or the complaint number. If the station treats it as a loan dispute and refuses to register, ask for the refusal in writing. That written refusal is the foundation of the magistrate application in the next step. Do not leave the station without a document showing that you attended.
Where a morphed or private image has been sent to contacts, say so explicitly in the complaint. Publication of such material is a separate offence and it changes how the police prioritise the case. If the borrower is a child, the POCSO Act, 2012 applies to the sexualised material and the case must be handled under that framework.
Step five: platform and app store takedown
The app store and the social platform that carried the advertisement are intermediaries under section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Their protection from liability depends on due diligence under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. File a grievance with the grievance officer, citing the harassment and the illegal data collection, and ask for removal of the listing and the advertisement.
The Rules require the grievance officer to acknowledge the complaint within twenty-four hours and resolve it within fifteen days. Keep the ticket number. A platform that ignores a clear complaint about extortion loses the safe harbour argument later.
Step six: the magistrate application under BNSS section 175(3)
If no FIR is registered within a reasonable time, apply to the magistrate under section 175(3) of the BNSS. Attach the portal acknowledgement, the police complaint, any written refusal, the bank dispute, the call records and a one-page chronology. The magistrate can direct an investigation. This is not an appeal against the police; it is a statutory route to compel registration.
The application should be specific about the offence and the evidence. A vague request to take action is easily dismissed. An application that identifies the app, the accounts, the threats and the dates gives the magistrate a clear basis.
Documents to keep ready
| Document | Where it comes from | Which stage needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Loan sanction letter and repayment schedule | App or email | 1930, bank, police |
| Bank statement showing credit and debits | Net banking | 1930, bank, police |
| UPI or mandate reference | UPI app or bank | Bank dispute |
| Permission screenshots | Phone settings or app | Police, DPDP complaint |
| Call recordings and numbers | Phone | Police, magistrate |
| Collection chats | WhatsApp or SMS | Police, platform grievance |
| 1930 and portal references | Helpline and portal | Every later stage |
| Section 63 BSA certificate | Signed by you | Police, court |
How long each stage takes
| Stage | Realistic timing | What you control |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 call and portal complaint | Same day | Speed and completeness of detail |
| Bank dispute and mandate revocation | Same day to three working days | Written escalation to nodal officer |
| Police complaint and receipt | Day one to day three | Written complaint and receipt request |
| Platform grievance | 24 hours to 15 days | Clear citation of the rule breached |
| Magistrate application | Two to six weeks | Quality of the refusal record |
| Investigation and charge sheet | Months | Follow-up and evidence quality |
What decides whether the complaint moves
The first factor is whether the complaint describes an offence rather than a debt. A letter that says the app is charging too much interest is a consumer dispute. A letter that says the agent threatened to send my photograph to my employer unless I paid is extortion. The same facts must be framed as the offence they are.
The second factor is whether the money trail is specific. The cyber cell can act on an account number, a UTR and a payment gateway reference. It cannot act on an unnamed app. The bank statement is the most useful single document in the file.
The third factor is the identity of the complainant and the risk to that person. Where a private image has been circulated, the police have a clearer public interest in acting quickly. Where the borrower is a woman or a child, the provisions are stronger and the response is usually faster.
The fourth factor is persistence. A single portal complaint is often the end of the victim's involvement. A follow-up with the investigating officer, a written reminder and a magistrate application where needed is what keeps the file alive.
What not to do
- Do not pay the inflated demand to stop the calls before filing the complaint. The payment funds the next round.
- Do not send a fresh identity document or selfie to the collection agent to prove who you are.
- Do not file the portal complaint without the bank statement; it will be sent back.
- Do not name the app or its staff on social media before the police have the file. It can weaken the case and invite a defamation counter-complaint.
- Do not accept a no-dues letter from the app without confirming that your data has been deleted and the mandate revoked.
When to involve a lawyer
The first three filings can be made without a lawyer. A lawyer is useful when the police refuse to register the FIR, when the bank rejects the dispute, when an image has been circulated and takedown is urgent, or when the matter reaches bail. A cyber crime lawyer in Kolkata can draft the magistrate application and the bank escalation so that the offences and the evidence are stated correctly. If the accused is arrested in a connected case and release is contested, the bail stage turns on the strength of the complaint record you built in the first week.
Need help with a cyber crime matter?
Tell me what happened and I will tell you what to file, where, and by when. First conversation is free.
Call +91-9007000603 WhatsAppFrequently asked questions
Where do I file a loan app harassment complaint first?
Call 1930 and file on cybercrime.gov.in the same day, then dispute the transaction with your bank's nodal officer. After those two filings, make a written police complaint under BNSS section 173. The portal complaint is what allows the cyber cell to freeze accounts quickly.
What documents are needed for a loan app harassment complaint?
Keep the loan sanction letter, the repayment schedule, the bank statement showing the credit and the debits, the UPI or mandate reference, permission screenshots, the collection chats and call recordings. Also keep the 1930 and portal reference numbers, and carry two printed sets to the police station so the receiving officer can retain one.
What if the police refuse to register my complaint?
Ask for the refusal in writing and then apply to the magistrate under section 175(3) of the BNSS, 2023. Attach the portal acknowledgement, the police complaint, the written refusal, the bank dispute and a chronology. The magistrate can direct an investigation.
How do I stop the auto-debit to a loan app?
Revoke the UPI mandate or standing instruction through your bank or the UPI app, and confirm the revocation in writing to the bank's nodal officer. Keep the revocation reference. Do not rely on the app to cancel the mandate, since the app is the party you are complaining against.
Can the app be removed from the play store?
Yes, if the platform acts on a grievance. Under the IT Rules, 2021 the grievance officer must acknowledge a complaint within twenty-four hours and resolve it within fifteen days. Cite the extortion and the illegal data collection, and keep the ticket number for the police file.
How long does a loan app harassment case take?
The first filings take a day. Platform grievances are decided within fifteen days. A magistrate direction may take two to six weeks. The investigation and charge sheet can take months. Timelines vary by district and by how specific the money trail is.
Information for general guidance only and not legal advice. Provisions cited follow the Information Technology Act 2000, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023.
Related articles
Cyber crime lawyer in your city · Bank account freeze help · Contact