Six arrested for suspected involvement in loansharking activities
Posted: 04 April 2012 2215 hrs
SINGAPORE: Police have arrested six men, age between 23 and 42, for suspected involvement in five separate loansharking cases.
On April 3, officers were conducting anti-crime patrols around Clementi Avenue 3 when they spotted a man behaving suspiciously along the corridor of an HDB block at about 10pm.
He had an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card, two mobile phones and cash amounting to S$2,400.
The 33-year-old suspect was arrested for suspected involvement in loansharking activities.
Police believe he is a debtor-turned-runner.
In the second case on April 4, police were alerted to a case of loanshark harassment in Tampines Street 34 at about 2am.
An officer detained a 30-year-old suspect around Tampines St 34.
He had with him a marker, one lighter, two bottles of kerosene, one bottle of engine oil, one pair of gloves and a mobile phone containing debtors' records.
Police believe he was responsible for several cases of loan shark harassment island-wide.
He allegedly locked debtors' units using bicycle lock, splashed paint and scrawled loan shark-related graffiti on walls.
Police suspect he was involved in a case of harassment by fire in Toa Payoh.
The third case happened at about 4pm on April 4 around Serangoon Central.
Police searched a 42-year-old suspect who was seen behaving suspiciously.
They found items such as bottles of paint, marker pens and pieces of paper with suspected debtors' entries.
In the fourth case, two men, aged 30 and 35, were nabbed after they were seen behaving suspiciously at an ATM at about 9pm on April 3 around Woodlands Civic Centre.
Police seized three mobile phones containing debtors' records, a stack of bank transactions receipts, 13 ATM cards and cash amounting to S$2,530 from them.
The fifth case happened at about 12.55am on April 4.
Police caught a 23-year-old man behaving suspiciously around Jurong West Street 65.
He had with him items such as a marker, a screwdriver, two cans of paint and a mobile phone containing debtors' records.
- CNA/fa
