Police have arrested five men and two women for their involvement in various loansharking activities.
In the first case on Oct. 14, officers on patrol nabbed a 63-year-old man at Compassvale Street. Investigations revealed that he was involved in facilitating the illegal moneylending business by giving away his Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards and Personal Identification Number (PIN) to a loansharking syndicate.
On Oct. 15, a 50-year-old male was stopped by officers at a shopping centre along Upper Cross Street. During the search, five ATM cards, three mobile phones, a few bank transaction receipts and information relating to loansharking activities were seized from him. The culprit was believed to have helped loansharks carry out fund transfers through ATM cards.
In a separate case on the same day, officers from Jurong Police Division arrested a 23-year-old man and 25-year-old woman at Race Course Road for at least 15 counts of loanshark harassments island-wide. These harassers vandalised main doors of debtors’ residences with paint and graffiti.
An operation carried out by officers of Ang Mo Kio Division on Wednesday concluded in the arrest of two male and one female suspects. They were suspected of participating in at least 20 loansharking harassment cases.
Since Oct. 4, there have been multiple reports regarding loanshark harassments at housing estates in Hougang, Punggol and Sengkang. Residents found paint splashed all over doors, bicycle locks secured to gates and graffiti scribbled on walls.
Two of the three suspects, a 20-year-old male and 24-year-old female, were apprehended on Oct.15, at Upper Circular Road and Yung Loh Road.
The last suspect, a 16-year-old boy was captured at Jurong East Street 24 the next day.
Photo: Wylio
