Malaysian 'Ah Long' charged in Singapore

Four Malaysians have been prosecuted here for loanshark harassment, the Singapore Police Force said today.

All of them, males aged between 18 and 29, were charged in court yesterday, it said in a statement.

According to the statement, at about 3.45 am on Monday the police received information that a wall outside a housing flat unit along Jalan Bukit Merah had been sprayed with loanshark-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.

Loanshark-related items, including three cans of paint, a bottle of spray paint and gloves, were found in a bag carried by one of them.

The three were arrested for suspected involvement in loanshark activities.

Follow-up investigations led to the arrest of another suspect on the same day at about 4 am. 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.

Preliminary investigations indicate that all the suspects were believed to have committed several cases of loanshark harassment by splashing paint and spraying loanshark-related graffiti on the walls of public housing blocks in a few housing estates.

Commander of Central Police Division, Deputy ACP Daniel Tan, said the police had zero tolerance against loanshark harassment and that those who deliberately vandalised properties would be arrested swiftly and 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 shall be punished with imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of between S$5,000 (about RM12,360) and S$50,000 (about RM123,600), and shall be liable to be caned.