A total of 186 men and 66 women, aged between 16 and 76, were hauled up for various offences in a sixteen-day long enforcement operation led by Bedok Police Division between 23 November and 8 December 2020.
50 men and 19 women, aged between 16 and 68, are being investigated for their suspected involvement in e-commerce scams and money-laundering activities involving transactions exceeding $1.5 million.
129 men and 45 women, aged between 18 and 76, are being investigated for their suspected involvement in loan scams and loanshark activities involving transactions exceeding $216,000. Amongst these, 11 men and 8 women, aged between 20 and 61, were arrested for offences under the Moneylenders Act.
With the support of officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). 4 men and 2 women, aged between 16 and 59, were arrested for drug-related offences and 3 men, aged between 24 and 42, were arrested for other Penal Code offences, such as Criminal Intimidation and Theft.
Police investigations against all the suspects are ongoing.
Commander of Bedok Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Julius Lim, said “This operation reflects a commitment by Bedok Police Division to hold those who break our laws accountable, and to protect our residents from harm. I would like to pay tribute to the intelligence community, the Central Narcotics Bureau, and dozens of investigators who worked tirelessly, under difficult conditions, to bring the offenders to justice. These officers care deeply about the safety and security of their neighbourhoods, and will continue to do their best to keep you safe during this year-end period.”
The offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code carries a jail term of up to ten years, and a fine. The offence of money-laundering under the Corruption, Drug-Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act carries a jail term of up to ten years and a fine up to $500,000. The offence of criminal breach of trust under Section 406 of the Penal Code carries a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both.
Under the Moneylenders Act (Revised Edition 2010), first time offenders found guilty of assisting in carrying on the business of unlicensed moneylending shall be liable to a fine not less than $30,000 and not more than $300,000 with mandatory jail term of up to four years and mandatory caning of up to six strokes. In the case of a second or subsequent conviction, offenders shall be liable to a fine of not less than $30,000 and not more than $300,000 with mandatory jail term of up to seven years and mandatory caning of up to 12 strokes.
The Police will continue to take tough enforcement action against those involved in scams and unlicensed moneylending activities. This would include taking action against those who open or give away their bank account/s to aid unlicensed moneylenders. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. If members of the public suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in unlicensed moneylending activities, they can call the Police at ‘999’ or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5664.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
14 December 2020 @ 2:00 PM