Johor cops nab five for ah long activities, threatening borrowers

JOHOR BARU: Police have arrested five men for alleged involvement in illegal moneylending activities and threatening borrowers who failed to repay their loans.

Johor police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the five suspects, aged between 23 and 41, were detained on Tuesday (Oct 18) in the Iskandar Puteri area.

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“They were arrested in several raids from around 9.30am to 3pm by our men from the Criminal Investigation Department," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 19).

Comm Kamarul Zaman said initial investigations found that the illegal moneylenders or ah long have been operating for the past three years.

He said with the arrest, police have solved cases related to loan shark activities including splashing red paint on borrowers’ premises and criminal intimidation.

“There were 18 cases in the Iskandar Malaysia and Kluang areas, and one in Bercham, Ipoh," he said.

He added that police also seized 12 mobile phones, 12 SIM cards, six bank ATM cards, one cheque and 46 bank transaction receipts.

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Comm Kamarul Zaman said police also seized four cars, a computer and a log book containing borrowers' particulars.

“The modus operandi of this unlicensed moneylending syndicate is to advertise its services on Facebook for loans ranging from RM500 to RM30,000," he said.

He also said the interest charged was 5% to 20% with weekly payments and borrowers who failed to make the instalments would be harassed, along with their family members, while the interest rate was increased.

He said the suspects will be taken to court for a remand order under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code to assist in the investigation.

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The case is being investigated under Section 5(2) of the Moneylenders Act 1951 which carries a fine of between RM250,000 and RM1mil, or a jail term of up to five years, or both, upon conviction.

“The criminal intimidation is being investigated under Section 506 of the Penal Code and if convicted, the suspects could face up to seven years in prison or a fine, or both," Comm Kamarul Zaman added.

He said Johor police would not compromise with ah long who disturbed public order and use all the relevant laws in taking action against them.

He also advised the public to refrain from borrowing money from ah long due to the high interest rate and possibility of threats and harm should they default on payments.