May 26, 2010
4 loanshark runners arrested
<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> POLICE have arrested four men in connection with three separate cases of loanshark harassment. In the first case, officers from Ang Mo Kio police division were on patrol in Serangoon North Avenue 1 on Monday when they spotted a man behaving suspiciously. On checking, they found slips of paper believed to be debtor records, markers and a can of red paint in his possession.
The 31-year-old man was immediately arrested. Preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect is believed to be a debtor-turned-loanshark-runner and had just vandalised debtors' houses in the area. Later in the day, officers from the same division spotted another two men behaving suspiciously. The duo, aged 29 and 32, were also searched and found to have similar loanshark-related paraphernalia. They were detained.
Preliminary investigation revealed they had just committed loanshark harassment in the Serangoon and Beo Crescent estates. In an unrelated case, a 36-year-old man was nabbed at Ang Mo Kio Police Division for assisting a loanshark in his business. The suspect is believed to be a debtor-turned-runner and had opened a bank account and given away his ATM card with its Personal Identification Number (PIN) to the loanshark.
Investigations are in progress. Two of the suspects, aged 31 and 32 years old, will be charged in Court on Wednesday for loanshark harassment while investigations against the other two suspects are still on-going. Offenders who act on behalf of unlicensed loansharks, commit or attempt to commit any acts of harassment can be jailed up to five years, fined from $5,000 to $50,000, and caned up to six strokes of the cane. First-time offenders found guilty of assisting loansharks may be fined between $30,000 to $300,000, imprisoned up to 4 years and also receive 6 strokes of the cane.
