A 17-year-old girl was arrested in Skudai, Johor Baru, on Sunday (Nov 27) in connection with an arson attack.
The suspect is believed to have been involved in a criminal scheme linked to an illegal loan shark operation, thought to be based in Singapore.
She has reportedly confessed to taking part in two incidents where Molotov cocktails were thrown, as well as one case of red paint being splashed on houses in Iskandar Puteri.
Iskandar Puteri OCPD Assistant Commissioner M. Kumarasan said the girl was paid RM1,000 for each house she set on fire and RM600 for those she vandalised with red paint.
"She found out about this 'job' through Facebook. She would receive instructions and target details from a loan shark syndicate using a Singaporean phone number," he said during a press conference at the Iskandar Puteri District Police Headquarters on Monday (Dec 2).
The victims were mainly individuals working in Singapore who had either defaulted on loans, refused to pay interest, or decided against borrowing from the loan sharks after giving their personal details.
After each attack, the girl was required to take photos and videos of her actions and send them to the suspects who instructed her to confirm her work and receive payment, ACP Kumarasan added.
He said the police have formed a special task force to tackle such criminal activities, and this is the second arrest involving young people.
The first arrest took place after a series of raids in Johor Baru and Pontian on Nov 15 and Nov 16.
"Four suspects, including a 15-year-old boy, were detained for allegedly carrying out arson attacks on properties belonging to loan defaulters.
"They are thought to be part of an illegal money-lending syndicate responsible for nine arson incidents," he said.
The girl arrested in this case is currently in police custody under remand for nine days, from Nov 27 to Dec 4.
The investigation is ongoing under Sections 435 and 507 of the Penal Code, which relate to causing mischief by fire and criminal intimidation via anonymous communication.
On Nov 28, it was reported that a 17-year-old girl was arrested after allegedly setting fire to a car parked in a driveway at Taman Damai Jaya, Skudai.
The car owner, a 39-year-old man, noticed the car was on fire at 3am on Nov 27.
ACP Kumarasan confirmed that a threatening note was found at the scene, which read, "Owe money, pay today – this is a warning. If you don’t reply, I will come and burn."
The note included a Singaporean phone number. Other items seized from the suspect included a black marker pen, a glass bottle, a can of petrol, a navy-blue car, and a mobile phone.
