Police arrest online loan sharks, charging 40 baht interest per day

July 5 - Police used a search warrant to search a house in Tambon Tha Yang, Amphoe Thung Yai, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, and arrested Ms. Rattanamani, aged 24, and Ms. Sumalee, aged 41, along with evidence including a mobile phone, a notebook showing daily and 6-month interest rates, floating interest rates, and a list of debtors in 4 books. Following the victim, a couple called the Cyber Police, Sub-Division 3, Technology Crime Suppression Division 5, to ask for help. They borrowed money from an informal lender until the debt compounded and the creditors threatened to humiliate them until they were humiliated and suffered. They were so stressed that they thought about committing suicide as a family. The officers investigated and found the perpetrators on social media. They lent money with floating interest rates. They only paid interest on the principal without reducing the rate. If they borrowed 1,000 baht, they had to pay 40 baht interest per day without reducing the principal. They had to pay interes t until they could repay the principal. This was a loan with interest rates exceeding the legal limit of 15 percent per year. Such actions are an offense under the Act on the Prohibition of Charging Excessive Interest Rates. They solicited money through Facebook contact channels to lend in the amount they wanted. There was a big lender who was in the informal lender business using a Facebook account named 'Sumalee Phet-Awut'. The police officers therefore checked the Facebook account and found out that the name was Ms. Sumalee. They collected evidence and submitted it to the court to request permission to search the location. Arrested with evidence of a mobile phone containing photo files related to the loan. Initially, the police charged him with arranging for another person to borrow money or doing anything that conceals the lending of money, such as charging interest rates higher than the rate specified by law, and operating a personal loan business without permission. Therefore, he was taken to the inves tigation officer at Thung Yai Police Station, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, to proceed with legal action. Source: Thai News Agency