3 arrested for loanshark activities
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 - 20:26
AsiaOne
SINGAPORE - Police have arrested three men, aged between 23 and 45 years, for their suspected involvement in loansharking activities in three separate cases.
In the first case, on Nov 26, 2013 at about 6pm, through follow-up investigations on loansharking activities, officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division arrested a 45-year-old man in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 9.
Preliminary investigations indicate that he is a debtor who had used his previous residential address to obtain loans from loansharks. This caused the current owner and occupants of his previous residence to became innocent victims of harassment by the loansharks.
Investigations also showed that the man had failed to report the change of his residential address within 28 days.
In the second case, on Nov 26, 2013 at about 6.05pm, an off-duty police officer from Bedok Police Division spotted the 23-year-old man behaving suspiciously at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in the vicinity of Punggol Field.
He was detained and a total of 13 ATM cards were found in his possession. The items were seized in connection to loansharking activities.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the man is a debtor-turned-runner and have assisted the loanshark syndicates to procure ATM cards from other debtors to carry out electronic fund transactions via ATM.
In the third case, also on Nov 26, 2013 but at about 10pm, through follow-up investigation into a case of loanshark harassment, officers from Jurong Division arrested the 24-year-old man in the vicinity of Telok Blangah Crescent.
Loanshark-related paraphernalia such as debtor notes and a red marker were found in his possession and seized. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect is a debtor-turned-runner. He is believed to be responsible for several cases of loanshark harassment island-wide by splashing paint, locking the gates of debtors who had defaulted repayments with bicycle locks and leaving behind debtor's notes in Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio housing estates.
Investigations against the men in the first and second case are ongoing.
First-time offenders found guilty of assisting in the carrying on of the business of an unlicensed moneylender, may be fined not less than $30,000 and not more than $300,000, be imprisoned for a term not exceeding four years and shall also be liable to be punished with caning of not more than six strokes.
Any person who is guilty of providing false contact information to obtain loans from loansharks shall be liable upon conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months.
First-time offenders found guilty of loanshark harassment shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of up to five years, a fine of not less than $5,000 and not more than $50,000, and shall also be liable to caning of not less than three and not more than six strokes.
Any person who is guilty of an offence of failing to report a change of address shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to both.
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