GEORGE TOWN: A woman who alleged she was forced into prostitution to pay off her father's debt to a loan shark, is expected to be charged in court tomorrow.
Acting Northeast police chief Superintendent Lee Swee Saik said the woman would face a change under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code.
Section 505(b) makes it a criminal offence for "whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquillity".
"Her irresponsible actions had caused unease among the people. She will be charged at the magistrate's court here tomorrow," said Lee.
The woman's claimed appeared in a 18-minute and 31-second podcast session uploaded by a TikTok account owner.
Police have since confirmed that the woman's claims were false.
The podcast featured an online interview with the 26-year-old woman, via a phone call.
She claimed her father owed RM20,000 to an Ah Long and the failure to repay the debt led to her being forced to work without pay as a mistress for the Ah Long in Penang since February.
On Sept 30, police successfully located the woman, who was found safe at a house in Seberang Prai Utara.
During interrogation, she revealed that she had contacted the interview programme on July 26, and her claims of being forced to work in a "red house" were untrue.
Police said the woman fabricated the story "merely to express her feelings".
She admitted to police to borrowing money from several loan companies and said she had received threats from them for failing to repay her debts.