Police nab 113 people during island-wide anti loan-sharking operation
Police arrested 113 people during a four-day anti loan-sharking operation this week.
The suspects were aged between 15 and 72. Eighty of them were men and 33 of them were women, stated a police press release.
From Tuesday to Friday, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and six police divisions conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations across the island.
Nine of those arrested are believed to have acted as runners for loan sharks by carrying out Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transfers, verifying debtors’ particulars and checking debtors’ units to confirm that harassment acts had been carried out.
Gave false contact information
Another nine are believed to have been harassers who splashed paint and scrawled loan shark-related graffiti on walls.
One is believed to be a debtor who gave false contact information to loan sharks.
The suspect will also be investigated for failing to report the change of address.
The remaining 94 suspects are believed to have opened bank accounts and given their ATM cards and Personal Identification Number (PIN) away to loan sharks for illegal moneylending activities.
Investigations against all suspects are ongoing.
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