The Police have arrested two men, aged 28 and 31, for their suspected involvement in two separate cases of loanshark harassment.
For the first case, the Police were alerted to a case of loanshark harassment on 27 March 2021 at about 11.20pm where the gate of a residential unit along Telok Blangah Street 31 was allegedly sprayed with paint and loanshark-related graffiti were found scrawled on the wall outside the unit. Through investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras, officers from Clementi Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him on 7 April 2021. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to be involved in other cases of loanshark harassment.
For the second case, the Police were alerted to a case of loanshark harassment on 28 March 2021 at about 5pm along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 7 where the victim had allegedly received loanshark-related text messages along with a photo of the residential unit. Through investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him on 6 April 2021.
The two men will be charged in court on 8 April 2021 under the Moneylenders Act 2010 (Revised Edition). For first-time offenders, the offence of loanshark harassment carries a fine of not less than $5,000 and not more than $50,000, with mandatory imprisonment of up to five years, and mandatory caning of up to six strokes.
The Police have zero tolerance for loanshark harassment activities. Those who deliberately vandalise property, cause annoyance to the public or disrupt public safety, peace and security, will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.
Members of the public are advised to stay away from loansharks and not to work with or assist the loansharks in any way. The public can call the Police at ‘999’ or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5664 if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in loansharking activities.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
07 April 2021 @ 3:50 PM