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Published: Wednesday January 23, 2013 MYT 1:27:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday January 23, 2013 MYT 2:33:04 PM

Four Malaysian men charged with loan shark offences in Singapore


SINGAPORE: Four Malaysian men, aged 18 to 29, have been charged over loan shark activities here.

The Singapore Police Force said in a statement that at about 3.45am on Monday, the police received information that a wall outside a housing flat unit along Jalan Bukit Merah had been sprayed with loan shark-related graffiti.

It said officers from the Central Police Division arrived soon afterwards and, based on the information gathered, the descriptions of three suspects were ascertained and they were arrested in the neighbourhood.

Three cans of paint, a bottle of spray paint and gloves, were found in a bag carried by one of the suspects.

Follow-up investigations led to the arrest of another suspect at 4am on the same day. The 19-year-old was arrested after his car was intercepted along Jalan Bukit Merah. The travel documents of the other three were found in the car, which was also seized.

The suspects were believed to have committed several cases of harassment by splashing paint and spraying graffiti on the walls of public housing blocks in a few housing estates.

Central Police Division commander Deputy ACP Daniel Tan said the police had zero tolerance against loan shark harassment and those who deliberately vandalised properties would be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

First-time offenders found guilty of acting on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender or committing or attempting to commit any act of harassment can be jailed for up to five years, fined between S$5,000 (about RM12,360) and S$50,000 (about RM123,600), and caned. - Bernama

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