Six debt collectors rounded up for usury

Only two of the suspects were identified. They were Huang Chih-kuo, 48, and Hsieh Chieh-shen, 47, both of Taichung.

Imported liquor, cigarettes, lists of debtors and “rotten egg paint grenades” were seized at Huang’s home.

It’s the tiny hand grenades Huang had invented to intimidate his victims of usury that spelled his doom.

Huang extracted the yolk and white of an egg and filled the empty shell with odorous paint. Thrown at a target, the grenade burst and painted pungent splashes wherever it hit.

Victims filed complaints with police, who finally tracked down Huang, who used to be a paint factory worker.

In fact, police investigators said, Huang and his cohorts were loan sharks and debt collectors at the same time.

They lent petty cash and collected a monthly interest of 50 percent. A borrower who got an advance of NT$30,000, for example, had to pay NT$5,000 every ten days, investigators said.

Should borrowers fail to pay the interest on time, investigators said, the collectors would throw Huang’s hand grenades at them.

Victims often let collectors seize imported liquor and cigarettes and valuables if they could not repay.

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