C
Cao Pi
Guest
Jun 25, 2010
27 nabbed in two days
<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> IN A CONTINUING onslaught against illegal moneylending and loansharking activites, police have arrested 27 suspects in the last two days. On Wednesday, 16 men and four women between 22 and 59 years, were rounded up in raids by officers from Jurong police division at various locations in Bukit Batok, Boon Lay and Woodlands housing estates for their involvement in unlicensed moneylending activities.
Fifteen of them were suspected to have opened bank accounts and allowed them to be used in unlicensed moneylending activities, while the other five were believed to have acted as runners for the unlicensed moneylenders. Separately, seven men aged between 16 and 38 years were caught for suspected involvement in loansharking activities in three cases. In the first case, a loanshark harassment was reported at a block in Admiralty Link on June 7.
Footage retrieved from a CCTV showed two youths splashing paint on a unit. Following up on this lead, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division arrested four suspects aged between 16 and 17 years in the vicinity of Punggol East and Punggol Central on Wednesday. They were suspected to have committed acts of loanshark harassments islandwide by scrawling loanshark-related graffiti and splashing paint on debtors' units in the Woodlands, Admiralty, Sembawang, Yishun, and Ang Mo Kio housing estates.
Also on Wednesday, a 38 year-old man was arrested for suspected involvement in loansharking activities in the vicinity of Yishun Street 81 at about 1pm. This led to the arrest of his accomplice, aged 36, at Upper Thomson Road. Both were believed to be responsible for issuing and collecting loan repayments. On Thursday at about 4.45 pm, a male motorcyclist who beat the red light along Yishun Ring Road was caught after a chice by police.
He was found to have several bank transaction slips, ATM cards and a handphone with suspected debtors' records. Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect is a debtor-turned-runner and had assisted the loansharks by carrying out bank transfers. Three of the suspects will be charged in court on Friday. Investigations against the others are ongoing.
