Police arrested 5 men and 2 women aged between 20 and 44 years old for suspected loansharking activities in three separate cases.

In the first case on 8 September 2010 at about 9.00 pm, through follow-up investigations, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division arrested a 24-year-old woman who is believed to have opened a bank account and given away her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card and Personal Identification Number (PIN) to the loansharks. Following her arrest, a 31-year-old woman and 2 men aged 29 and 44 years old were arrested for similar offences on 9 September 2010 between 2.05 pm and 6.00 pm in the vicinity of Toa Payoh Hub and Ang Mo Kio. All the bank accounts believed to be used in the illicit unlicensed moneylending business have since been frozen.

In the second case on 9 September 2010 at 9.15 pm, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division were notified of a suspicious person in the vicinity of Block 845 Yishun Street 81. Officers arrived at the scene and spotted a 37-year-old man fitting the description given. Upon an interview, he was arrested for suspected involvement in loansharking activities. Several bank transaction slips and ATM cards were also seized from his possession as case exhibits. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had assisted the loanshark in his business by carrying out bank transfers.

In the third case on 10 September 2010 at about 5.00 am, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division were conducting anti-crime patrols in the vicinity of Yishun Ring Road when they spotted two men aged 20 and 26 years old behaving suspiciously. The officers conducted a check on them and found loanshark-related paraphernalia such as cans of paint, marker pen, super glue, plastic gloves and a note containing suspected debtors’ addresses in their possession. Preliminary investigations revealed that the duo were believed to have committed acts of loanshark harassment by scrawling graffiti and splashing paint at debtors’ units in Woodlands and Yishun.

The two suspects in the third case will be charged in Court on 11 September 2010 for loanshark harassment under the Moneylenders Act (Revised Edition 2010). Investigations against the other five suspects are still on-going.

Under the Moneylenders Act (Revised Edition 2010), 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. Those who are acting on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender, commit or attempt to commit any acts of harassment shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years, fine not less than $5,000/- and not more than $50,000/- and shall also be liable to be caned not more than 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 the fight against loansharks.