Police arrest two women in separate loanshark cases
Police said that three ATM cards, three handphones and cash of $150 were seized when one of the women was arrested.
AsiaOne
Monday, May 12, 2014
SINGAPORE - Police have arrested two women in two separate cases for suspected involvement in loansharking activities, they said in a statement.
The first woman, 43, was arrested on Sunday at 5.50pm in Jurong West Avenue 5. She is suspected to be a debtor-turned-assistor who gave away her ATM cards and Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) to facilitate unlicensed moneylending businesses.
The second woman, 35, was arrested on Monday at 9.20am in Serangoon Avenue 3. She is suspected to be a debtor-turned-runner who assisted in collecting ATM cards and PINs from other debtors and used them to carry out loansharking transactions. Investigations revealed that the woman also helped to send out debtor notes, verified borrowers' identity and checked on debtors' homes to check for signs of harassment.
Police said that three ATM cards, three handphones and cash of $150 were seized when the second woman was arrested.
Investigation against the first woman is ongoing, while the second woman will be charged in court on Wednesday.
Under the law, first time offenders found guilty of assisting in the loansharking business can be fined not less than $30,000 and not more than $300,000, be jailed for up to four years, and can be sentenced to up to six strokes of the cane.
