Indian couple faces deportation over ‘usurious lending activities’

MANILA, Philippines — An Indian couple is facing deportation following complaints about their alleged “usurious lending activities” that target small Filipino traders, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Thursday.

Kuldeep Singh, 42, and his common-law wife Manjeet Kaur, 49, were arrested in their residence at Caloocan City last August 30 as both were allegedly involved in such oppressive business, BI Acting Intelligence Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. said.

“We requested the mission order after our office received complaints alleging that the couple was engaged in usurious lending activities that prey on small Filipino traders and other residents of the city,” Manahan said in a statement.

Subsequently, authorities found that Kuldeep committed misrepresentation for falsely stating that he was married with a Filipina citizen. Manjeet, on the other hand, was eventually found to be an undocumented alien in the country.

According to BI Intelligence Officer Jude Hinolan, Kuldeep faked his marriage certificate with a Filipina citizen when he applied for a resident visa in the Philippines.

BI officers also noted that Kuldeep could not tell where his supposed Filipina wife is when asked about her whereabouts.

“Instead, we discovered that he was living with an Indian woman who turned out to be undocumented as she failed to show any document proving she is legally staying in the country,” Hinolan said.

BI said prosecutors have charged Kuldeep for misrepresentation while Manjeet for being an undocumented alien.

Both are currently detained at the BI Detention Facility in Taguig City pending their deportation proceedings. /kga