Loan sharks arrested for assaulting teacher in Ratchaburi

Authorities have apprehended two notorious loan sharks for assaulting and publicly humiliating an assistant teacher in Ratchaburi province. The couple filmed the assault and nearly shaved the victim’s head before their clippers malfunctioned.

The incident began when a Thai woman named Fa gathered a group to attack the assistant teacher due to missed debt payments. The interest rate imposed was exorbitantly higher than usual. The teacher, who had borrowed 40,000 baht, found herself with only 10,000 baht after Fa deducted 30,000 baht upfront.

Reporters visited the school in Ratchaburi yesterday where the assault occurred. School principal Asawin Kongpetchsak revealed that the victim was an early childhood assistant teacher who resigned on May 30 due to personal issues and frequent absences. Her resignation followed a failed performance evaluation conducted in early May. The principal confirmed that the school did not terminate her due to the debt collection incident.

Ratchaburi Provincial Police Commander Wachirapong Amornpitak ordered a thorough investigation into the incident. Deputy Commander Apirat Phumkumar was tasked with overseeing the investigation and ensuring that all involved parties were identified and questioned.

City Police Chief Songwut Roenwichayadej confirmed that the individuals in the video were identified as Cherdchai and Chanthira, also known as Fa, residing in Jedeehak, Ratchaburi. Authorities executed a search and brought the couple in for questioning at the Ratchaburi City Police Station.

Both admitted to lending money to the assistant teacher, stating that she was supposed to repay the loan in 12 installments but had only paid four. Despite repeated attempts to collect the debt, the teacher missed the agreed-upon deadline of May 10, requesting an extension to last Friday, May 31, with 17,000 baht still outstanding.

Physical assault

The couple claimed the teacher agreed to physical punishment if she failed to pay by the new deadline and provided chat records to the police.

During the confrontation, Fa questioned how the teacher intended to repay 17,000 baht with a monthly salary of only 7,000 baht. The situation escalated into a minor physical altercation, which Fa claimed was consensual. The teacher allegedly even invited further punishment and suggested they settle the remaining debt at the police station, a proposition she later declined.

Fa expressed regret over the incident, insisting she never intended to harm or verbally abuse anyone. She justified her actions by stating that the teacher’s defiance provoked the violent response. Authorities have charged Fa with lending at excessive interest rates and causing bodily harm. Further charges are pending investigation.

The assistant teacher sought help from Saimaithongrod, a community advocacy group, and reported the incident to Deputy Provincial Police Commander Salak Jaratromyen. She explained that she had been repaying the debt but faced violent retaliation when unable to meet the exact repayment schedule. She reiterated that she had not intended to evade payment and had even paid 5,000 baht after the incident.

The teacher detailed her repayment struggles, explaining that she had borrowed 10,000 baht with a daily repayment of 280 baht for 60 days, and made inconsistent payments. Additionally, she had a second loan requiring weekly payments of 2,150 baht, which she had partially repaid.

During the assault, the teacher was verbally abused and physically attacked in the presence of a security guard, who did not intervene due to the presence of Fa’s partner. The police were called, but the attackers fled before their arrival. The assailants took the teacher’s phone and wallet, demanding she produce the outstanding money within an hour. They subsequently returned her belongings before leaving.

The teacher reported the incident to the Ratchaburi City Police and urged other victims of Fa’s violent debt collection methods to come forward, reported KhaoSod.

Authorities are compiling evidence to proceed with legal action against the loan sharks.