Police have arrested four Vietnamese men aged between 25 and 32 years old for suspected involvement in loanshark harassment activities.

On 21 September 2010 at about 10.30am, while conducting an operation at Bedok South Ave 2, CNB officers conducting checks on two men found loanshark harassment paraphernalia comprising a bottle of red paint, a packet of black paint, a black marker, a bicycle lock and a stack of debtors notes inside a sling bag carried by one of them. Police were alerted to the case and both suspects were subsequently handed over to the Police.

Through follow-up investigations, another 2 Vietnamese nationals who are believed to be responsible for similar acts of loanshark harassment were arrested the same day at Ubi Ave 1.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the four suspects are believed to have committed acts of loanshark harassment at various locations islandwide. They will be charged in Court on 23 September 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 Bedok Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Teo Chun Ching commended the officers for their vigilance and quick action which led to the arrest of the four suspects.