Arrest of loan shark with exorbitant interest rate of 2 baht/day, late payment posted to shame her

Cyber ??police arrest 'Angel Big Eyes', the loan shark queen of Chumphon who charged 2% interest per day. If she paid late, she posted about it on social media. Following Pol. Lt. Gen. Worawat Wattanakornbancha, Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, who ordered the Cyber ??Police to mobilize to crack down and arrest offenders of illegal debts, especially those charging excessive interest rates, groups of creditors who use violence to collect debts, and suppress all forms of technology crimes to alleviate the suffering of the people from loan sharks who use excessive interest rates, in accordance with the policies of the government and the Royal Thai Police. Pol. Maj. Gen. Phumipat Phatthasriwongchai, Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division 5, therefore sent officers from the News Analysis and Special Equipment Division of the Technology Crime Suppression Division 5 to the area to investigate and find clues of wrongdoing on social media that there was a Facebook account name d 'Nangfa Ta To' who was lending money and charging interest at a rate of 2 baht per day or 60 baht per month, with a fine of 50 baht per day. If the debtor did not pay or paid late, the debtor would be posted on social media to shame the debtor. There was also a threatening phone call and abusive language was used to insult the debtor. The police officers investigated and were able to verify the identity and address of the owner of the Facebook page. They collected evidence and successfully requested a search warrant from the Lang Suan Provincial Court for the target location. Until the evening of 24 July 2024, the arresting police officers brought a search warrant from the Lang Suan Provincial Court No. 60/2567 dated 23 July 2024 to search a restaurant in Sawi District, Chumphon Province. They found Ms. Angkana, 41 years old, the owner of the aforementioned Facebook page. They were able to seize the mobile phone used to post the loan and demand money from debtors, and a white sedan that someone had pawned with them. Initially, Ms. Angkana admitted that she had lent the money, charging an interest rate of 2 percent per day. She gave an example of the loan conditions and interest rate, such as 5,000/300/25 days, meaning that the principal is 5,000 baht, paid 300 baht per day for 25 days, etc. As for the white sedan, someone contacted her via Facebook chat to ask to pawn it. The arresting police officers therefore pressed charges of "lending money to another person or performing any act that conceals the lending of money, such as (1) charging interest in excess of the rate stipulated by law, operating a personal loan business without permission, operating a pawnshop without permission, etc." They therefore took him to the investigation officer to proceed with legal action. -416-Thai News Agency Source: Thai News Agency