Police have arrested 4 men and 1 woman, aged between 15 and 36, for their suspected involvement in loansharking activities in three separate cases.
On 5 February 2015 at about 12.07pm, officers from Jurong Police Division arrested a 36-year-old man at Blk 368 Bukit Batok St 31 for his suspected involvement in assisting in the business of unlicensed moneylending. Based on preliminary investigations, the man is believed to have acted on the instruction from loanshark syndicates to collect money from a debtor.
On the same day at about 9.05pm, officers from Jurong Police Division also arrested a 33-year-old man at Blk 630 Bukit Batok Central for his suspected involvement in assisting in the business of unlicensed moneylending. Based on preliminary investigations, the man is believed to be a debtor-turned-runner and had assisted loanshark syndicates to procure Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards with Identification Numbers (PIN) from a debtor to facilitate their unlicensed moneylending businesses.
In the third case, on 5 February 2015, officers from Woodlands West Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC), Woodlands East NPC and Ang Mo Kio North NPC arrested two men, aged 19 and 22, and a 15-year-old woman for their suspected involvement in a series of loanshark harassment cases reported island-wide between January and February 2015. The 22-year-old man was arrested at Blk 106 Commonwealth Crescent and the other two suspects were arrested at Block 569A Champions Way. Based on preliminary investigations, the trio is believed to have carried out loanshark harassment by padlocking the main gates of debtors’ residences, splashing paint, scribbling graffiti and pasting debtor notes on walls.
Investigations against the 36-year-old man involved in the first case and the 15-year-old woman involved in the third case are still ongoing. The remaining 3 men will be charged in State Courts on 7 February 2015.
Under the Moneylenders Act 2010 (Revised Edition), first-time offenders found guilty of assisting in the business of unlicensed moneylending may be fined not less than $30,000 and not more $300,000, be imprisoned for a term not exceeding four years and shall also be liable to be punished with caning not more than six strokes. First time offenders found guilty of loanshark harassment shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of up to 5 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 3 and not more than 6 strokes.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
06 February 2015 @ 7:00 PM