Seven nabbed for loan-sharking activities

[Dodomeki]

Seven nabbed for loan-sharking activities
By Mustafa Shafawi | Posted: 16 June 2010 1829 hrs
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SINGAPORE : Police have arrested two men and two women, aged between 24 and 34 years, for suspected involvement in loan-sharking activities. On June 15 at about 6.15pm, while conducting anti-crime rounds in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division spotted a man behaving suspiciously.

Upon checking, he was found to be in possession of several ATM cards, mobile phones and several bank transaction receipts. Preliminary investigations revealed that the 27-year-old suspect was a debtor-turned-runner. He had assisted the loan sharks in their business by verifying debtors' identity cards, carrying out bank transfers and verifying if harassment had been carried out on the debtors' units.

Following up on the same case, on June 16 between 1.30am and 2.20am, two women aged 31 and 34 years were arrested in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio Ave 9. The two suspects had facilitated in the businesses of the loan sharks by opening bank accounts and giving away their ATM cards and Personal Identification Number (PIN) to the loan sharks.

An hour later, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division arrested another 24-year-old man at Jurong West in connection with the case. The suspect was a debtor-turned-runner and had assisted the loan sharks in their business by verifying debtors' identity cards, transferring money via ATM and verifying if harassment had been carried out on debtors' units.

Police said investigations on all the four suspects are still on-going. In yet another loan shark-related case, three men were arrested near Tampines Bus Interchange. Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects had earlier carried out loan-shark harassments by scrawling loan shark-related graffiti on the walls and splashing paint on debtors' units in Tampines, Bukit Panjang, Yishun and Woodlands.

All three suspects will be charged in court on Thursday.

- CNA/al