Police have arrested a 22-year-old man for suspected involvement in loanshark harassment.

On 21 August 2010 at about 3.40 pm , officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division were patrolling in the vicinity of Hougang Ave 4 when they spotted the suspect behaving suspiciously at the void deck of Block 601. The officers approached the suspect and conducted a check on him. Upon further interview, he was placed under arrest for suspected involvement in loanshark harassment. A mobile phone believed to contain debtors' records was also seized. Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect is a debtor-turned-runner who had assisted the loansharks to conduct harassment by splashing paint in the Jalan Teck Whye estate area.

The suspect will be charged in Court on 23 August 2010 for loanshark harassment under the Moneylenders Act (Revised Edition 2010). First time offenders found guilty of loanshark harassment shall be fined not less than $5,000 and not more than $50,000 with mandatory imprisonment of up to 5 years and mandatory caning of up to 6 strokes.

Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division HQ, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun, commended his officers for their vigilance and efforts in clamping down on loansharking activities.