157 people hauled up in week-long anti-crime blitz

The 13 men and a woman in a wheelchair looked glum while being led away from the coffee shop in Jurong West Street 41 into police vehicles on Aug 23.

Earlier, in a corner where there were about a dozen tables, the 14 suspects aged between 53 and 72, sat nervously as plainclothes officers catalogued and bagged marked-up newspapers, horse-betting guides, scribbled pieces of paper and wads of cash found among the cups of coffee and mugs of beer.

Officers seized $4,421 in cash in an anti-illegal horse-betting operation that members of the media were allowed to cover.

This was the start of a week-long blitz led by Jurong Police Division that ended last Sunday and saw 157 people hauled up for various offences, from illegal bookmaking to scams.

Supported by the Central Narcotics Bureau, Land Transport Authority and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, the joint operation covered locations in Jurong West, Tuas, Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang and Bukit Batok.

Officers nabbed 128 men and 29 women aged between 16 and 81.

Police said yesterday 21 men and six women aged between 18 and 81 are being investigated for public gaming, vice-related activities, suspected secret society membership and traffic and vehicle-related offences.

Meanwhile, 53 men and 14 women, aged between 16 and 70, are being probed for assisting in loan sharking activities and loan scams.

In targeting illegal bookmaking, 28 men and one woman aged between 49 and 79 are also being investigated for offences under the Betting Act. Cash amounting to more than $8,000 and betting-related paraphernalia were seized.

At the same time, 19 men and seven women aged between 17 and 63 are under investigation for e-commerce scams and commercial crime-related offences. They are believed to be involved in 39 cases reported islandwide involving more than $592,000.

Seven men and one woman, aged between 24 and 55, were also arrested for suspected drug and customs offences.

Police seized 45 pills suspected to be controlled drugs and 10 cartons and 24 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes.