Looking for some legal guidance regarding recovery of ~35K from a former colleague
Hi everyone,
I'm hoping someone here can guide me in the right direction regarding a personal money-recovery issue.
I lent around ₹35,000 to a former colleague in April 2026 after he requested financial help. The amount was transferred to him in two transactions, and I have the transaction records as proof.
Since then, I've been repeatedly asking him to return the money. I also have our WhatsApp conversations, where I have followed up with him several times and he has acknowledged the situation and asked for more time, including saying that he would repay me within a week.
Unfortunately, despite giving him several extensions, I still haven't received the money.
I had to arrange the money through credit-card-related payments, so this has also resulted in additional financial charges for me. I'm currently in Chennai, while he is in Andhra Pradesh.
I have tried to handle this peacefully and would really prefer to resolve it without going straight to court. At this point, I'm considering sending a formal legal notice requesting repayment before deciding what to do next.
Since the amount involved is around ₹35K, I'm also a little concerned about spending a significant amount on legal fees.
If there are any lawyers/advocates here who could guide me on the appropriate process, I would be very grateful. If someone knows an advocate who handles such matters and might be willing to help with drafting/sending a legal notice for a nominal fee or, if possible, pro bono, I would really appreciate a recommendation.
I'm happy to share the transaction records and relevant WhatsApp conversations privately with a lawyer for assessment.
For privacy reasons, I don't want to publicly disclose the person's name, address, phone number, Aadhaar details, or other identifying information.
I'm mainly looking for some honest guidance on what my best next step should be and how I can approach this cost-effectively.
Thanks a lot to anyone who takes the time to read this or point me in the right direction. 🙏