Police have arrested two men and two women aged between 24 and 34 years old for suspected involvement in loansharking activities.

On 15 June 2010 at about 6.15 pm, while conducting anti-crime rounds in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division spotted a man behaving suspiciously. Upon a check, he was found in possession of several ATM cards, mobile phones and several bank transaction receipts. Preliminary investigations revealed that the 27 year-old suspect was a debtor-turned-runner and had assisted the loansharks in their business by verifying debtors' identity cards, carrying out bank transfers and verifying if if harassment had been carried out on debtors' units.

Following up on the same case, on 16 June 2010 between 1.30 am and 2.20 am, two women aged 31 and 34 years old were arrested in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio Ave 9. Preliminary investigations revealed that the two suspects had facilitated in the businesses of the loansharks by opening bank accounts and giving away their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards and Personal Identification Number (PIN) to the loansharks.

On 16 June 2010 at about 3.20 am, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division arrested another 24 year-old man at Jurong West in connection to the case. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect was a debtor-turned-runner and had assisted the loansharks in their business by verifying debtors' identity cards, transferring money via ATM and verifying if harassment had been carried out on debtors' units.

Investigations against all the four suspects are still on-going. Under the Moneylenders Act 2008, where a bank account or automated teller machine (ATM) card of any person is proved to the satisfaction of the court, to have been used to facilitate the carrying on of the business of moneylending by an unlicensed moneylender, that person is presumed until the contrary is proven, to have assisted in the carrying on of the business of an unlicensed moneylender. First-time offenders found guilty of assisting in the carrying on of the business of an unlicensed moneylender, may be fined not less than $30,000/- and not more than $300,000/-, be imprisoned for a term not exceeding 4 years and shall also be liable to be punished with caning with not more than 6 strokes.

Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun, commended his officers for their vigilance and good investigative follow-up which led to the arrests of the four suspects.