Police officers from different units work together to curb unlicensed moneylenders and those who commit acts of harassment on their behalf!
By: Edwin Lim
Hello, Police?
On the evening of 28 May 2019, the Police received a call for assistance from a caller who reported that unlicensed moneylenders had placed a bicycle lock on his gate, preventing him from leaving home.
Officers who arrived at the scene discovered a note attached to the bicycle lock. It stated: “This is just a warning. Next will be your sister place, fire and lock! Give you one day to contact us…”
Working Together to Join the Dots
This wasn’t a singular incident – officers from the Criminal Investigation Department’s Unlicensed Moneylending Strike Force (UMSF) learnt that a spate of UML harassment cases had been reported island-wide around the time the first call was made.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the cases were similar. The perpetrator would place a bicycle lock and a threatening note on the victim’s gate. Analysing the bicycle locks and the writing on the notes, the officers suspected that the offences were the work of a single perpetrator.
Around this time, The Police also received numerous reports of ignition keyholes on motorcycles being vandalised with an unknown substance that prevented the riders from inserting their keys. Similar threatening notes were also found on the motorcycles.
Officers decided to tap on the Crime Strike Force network to find the perpetrator, and information on the case was swiftly shared with the Land Divisions. The breakthrough came when Crime Strike Force officers from Toa Payoh Neighbourhood Police Centre said that a male food delivery person had been spotted by Police Cameras acting suspiciously around the time the cases were reported.
The Big Reveal
Armed with this information, UMSF officers approached the food delivery company. This paid off when they were able to positively identify the 35-year-old suspect, Clifford Lim Mao Tian.
The UMSF officers planned a joint operation with Crime Strike Force officers to arrest Lim. On 31 May 2019, when he was spotted returning home, officers moved in swiftly and detained him. A range of harassment paraphernalia was found in his possession.
Lim admitted that he was behind the island-wide acts of harassment. He told officers that he’d first approached unlicensed moneylenders in 2018 as he needed cash for his daily expenses. Unable to repay his debts, Lim sought out other unlicensed moneylenders. At the time of his arrest, Lim owed about $30,000 to over 10 unlicensed moneylenders.
In May 2019, Lim was coerced by the unlicensed moneylenders into carrying out harassment acts against other debtors. He was paid for each act he committed. Apart from locking gates, Lim also vandalised motorcycles by using super glue to seal their ignition keyholes. Investigations revealed that some of the motorcycle owners hadn’t even taken loans from unlicensed moneylenders.
Paying the Price
Lim faced close to 20 charges of harassment committed between 25 May 2019 and 28 May 2019. He was also charged with providing two bank accounts to an unlicensed moneylender to carry out illegal activities. On 20 February 2020, Lim was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 26 months’ imprisonment, nine strokes of the cane and a fine of $30,000.
Officers from the UMSF and the Crime Strike Force of various Land Divisions worked closely together to conduct investigations and bring the perpetrator to justice – all within four days of the first reported crime!
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