Police arrested a 44-year-old man yesterday for his suspected involvement in loansharking activities.

On 26 January 2010 at about 11.20 pm, acting on information received, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division conducted a check on the man at a coffeeshop in Hougang Avenue 10. During the check, the man was found in possession of several marker pens and a handphone believed to contain debtors' record. The man was placed under arrest for suspected involvement in loansharking activities and the marker pens and handphone were seized as case exhibits. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is a debtor-turned-runner who had assisted loansharks to check on debtors' units to ensure that harassments had been carried out and had also assisted the loansharks in collecting loan repayments.

The suspect will be charged in Court on 28 January 2010 under the Moneylenders' Act 2008.

First-time offenders found guilty of assisting an unlicensed moneylender to carry out his business could be fined not less than $20,000 and not more than $200,000 or imprisoned for a term not exceeding two years or both.