GEORGE TOWN : Police are currently tracking down a 26-year-old woman who claimed that she had been forced into prostitution by a loan shark syndicate to settle her father’s debt.
Penang police chief Comm Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the woman identified only as Isha claimed that her father, who was divorced from her mother, owed RM20,000 to the Ah Long and had failed to settle the debt.
“Investigations are ongoing, and we are now tracking the whereabouts of the 26-year-old woman who claimed to be in Penang,” he told reporters at George Town police headquarters yesterday.
Comm Hamzah, however, refused to elaborate on the matter as the case was still under investigation.
On Sunday, a six-minute, 45-second podcast video shared by TikTok user Panglima hitam9, went viral on social media, which featured a conversation between the podcast host and the woman.
The woman claimed in the video that she was forced to work for the loan sharks since February at “Rumah Merah” in Penang as a mistress without being paid.
The woman also cried and pleaded to be rescued, alleging that the loan shark was at home.
In the video which has been viewed by 1.3 million people so far in Tik Tok, the host could be heard as saying that the matter was serious and asked the woman to share her location, so that she could be rescued.
In another development, Comm Hamzah said police are looking for several suspects believed to be involved with the two Vietnamese men who were shot dead by police last week.
On Friday, two Vietnamese men, aged 38,and 39, were shot dead in Jalan Bukit Panchor near Nibong Tebal after they attacked policemen with machetes.
The incident occurred at about 3.20am when policemen on patrol spotted a suspicious car parked along the road. The suspects then attacked the policemen after they approached the car.
Investigation revealed that the syndicate members had been involved in factory break-ins since 2017 and both the deceased had criminal records.
The case is being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.
Earlier, Comm Hamzah witnessed the handover ceremony between George Town OCPD Asst Comm Razlam Ab Hamid and the state management department chief Asst Comm Halim Yatim.
ACP Razlam will replace ACP Halim who will retire in three months.
Comm Hamzah also witnessed the handover of duties between ACP Razlam and his deputy, Superintendent Lee Swee Sake, who will assume the role of acting OCPD of George Town police headquarters.
