Police arrest 3 for suspected involvement in loansharking
Published on May 24, 2012
By Bryna Sim
Police have arrested two men and a woman, aged 27 to 60, for suspected involvement in loansharking activities in three separate cases, but which all took place on Wednesday.
In the first case, acting upon a tip-off by an alert resident, officers from Jurong Police Division arrested a 27-year-old man in the vicinity of Choa Chu Kang Drive at about 5pm. Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect was a debtor-turned-harasser. He is believed to be responsible for cases of loanshark harassment in Choa Chu Kang. He would lock the main-gates of debtors' residences using bicycle locks and scrawling graffiti on walls. Upon his arrest, loanshark-related paraphernalia including two bicycle locks, a marker pen and two handphones containing debtors' records were seized for investigations.
In the second case, another group of officers from Jurong Police Division were conducting anti-crimes patrol in the vicinity of Jelebu Road where they arrested a 33-year-old man at about 10pm. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect was a debtor-turned-runner who assisted loanshark syndicates to perform electronic fund transactions via ATM. Upon his arrest, one ATM card, a mobile phone containing debtors' records, a stack of bank transactions receipts and cash amounting to $750 were seized in connection to the case.
In the last case, through follow-up investigations following the arrest of the 33-year-old man in the second case, officers from Jurong Police Division arrested a 60-year-old woman at about 10.45pm. Preliminary investigations indicate that the woman was a debtor who opened a bank account and gave away her ATM card and Personal Identification Number (PIN) to loansharks to facilitate their businesses.
Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
