A 19-year-old man was arrested for his suspected involvement in a case of loanshark harassment by fire, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a press release on Wednesday (14 November).
The police said that it was alerted to a case of loanshark harassment by fire at Choa Chua Kang Drive, where the door of a residential unit was set on fire on 12 November 2018 at about 10.50 pm.
Through investigations, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and Jurong Police Division identified the suspect and arrested him within 24 hours.
Police investigations are ongoing and the suspect will be charged in court on 15 November 2018 with unlicensed moneylending harassment by setting fire.
Under the Moneylenders Act (Revised Edition 2010), offenders found guilty of acting on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender, committing or attempting to commit any acts of harassment shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, a fine of not less than $5,000 and not more than $50,000, and shall also be liable to caning of not less than three and not more than six strokes.
The Police stressed that it adopts a zero tolerance approach against loanshark harassment, especially acts of harassment that cause damage and endanger lives. Offenders will be tracked down and dealt with severely in accordance with the law.
It advised members of the public to stay away from loansharks and not to work with or assist the loansharks in any way.
The public can call the Police at ‘999’ or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5664 if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in illegal loansharking activities.