7 arrested for suspected loanshark harassment
POSTED: 28 Jun 2013 11:30 PM
SINGAPORE: Police have arrested six men and one woman, aged between 16 and 29 years, for suspected involvement in a series of loanshark harassment in two separate cases.
The first case took place on 25 June 2013 at about 4.50am.
Police received a report of loanshark harassment where an HDB flat in Bukit Panjang Ring Road was set on fire.
Investigations revealed that the fire was targeted at the unit, but three innocent neighbouring units were splashed with paint and chained with bicycle locks.
Although no one was injured, there was extensive damage to the victims' properties.
During an 18-hour operation from 27 June to 28 June, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the five suspects at Punggol, Tampines and Bedok.
Preliminary investigations showed that the four male suspects were responsible for the loanshark harassment involving fire, and more than 10 counts of harassment involving splashing of paint and scrawlling graffiti on walls.
Investigations also found that the female suspect was believed to have opened bank accounts and given away her automated teller machine (ATM) cards and personal identification numbers (PINs) to loansharks to facilitate their unlicensed moneylending businesses.
Police investigations on her are on-going.
The four male suspects will be charged on Saturday with loanshark harassment under the Moneylenders Act.
In the second case, at about 1.15am on Friday, officers from the Central Police Division spotted two men behaving suspiciously at the foot of a block of flats at Boon Lay Drive.
They were found to possess a tin can opener and a black marker.
This led the officers to check on the upper floors of the block of flats.
There, they found freshly splashed paint outside a unit and a loanshark-related graffiti along the staircase.
A further search was made on the duo's vehicle parked nearby, where 12 cans of paint were discovered.
The duo was arrested and the loanshark paraphernalia were seized.
The suspects are believed to be responsible for numerous counts of loansharking harassment cases -- splashing paint and scrawling loanshark-related graffiti on walls of debtors' residence.
The suspects will be charged on Saturday with offences under the Moneylenders Act.
First-time offenders found guilty of any acts of loanshark harassment could be jailed up to 5 years, fined S$5,000 to S$50,000, and get three to six strokes of the cane.
First-time offenders found guilty of assisting in the business of unlicensed moneylending may be fined S$30,000 to S$300,000, jailed up to four years and receive up to six strokes of the cane.
Superintendent of Police Aileen Yap, head of the CID's Unlicensed Moneylending Strikeforce, commended the officers for the arrests.
She said: "Police have zero tolerance against loanshark harassment. Those who deliberately set fire or commit acts which endanger the lives of the general community will be arrested swiftly and dealt with severely in accordance with the law.
"Upon conviction, these perpetrators can expect to be caned and jailed for endangering lives, damaging property and causing alarm to the general community. No effort will be spared to nab them to face the full consequences of their misdeeds."
- CNA/al
