JOHOR BARU: The police have taken down a loan shark syndicate with the arrest of four of its members in several operations here.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk M Kumar said the suspects, three men and one woman, were believed to have been paid between RM100 and RM350 to carry out acts of mischief for the syndicate.
"They were paid to carry out all kinds of acts to intimidate borrowers who were unable to pay their dues.
"This includes splashing paint, making threats and locking the doors of victims," he said in a statement on Wednesday (May 7) night.
Comm Kumar said the suspects, who are between 27 and 35 years old, also tested positive for methamphetamine.
"The syndicate operates by promoting loan offers through social media platforms and would communicate with the victims through a WhatsApp number listed in their advertisements.
"They would then transfer the loan into the borrower's account even without any formal agreement being signed.
"The syndicate would then impose unreasonable interest rates of between 20% and 50% and threaten the borrowers if they failed to make repayments," he said, adding that all transactions were conducted through bank accounts registered in Singapore.
He said that the syndicate is believed to have been active in Johor and Pahang since March and mainly targets Malaysians working in Singapore.
"With these arrests, a total of nine cases have been solved.
"Of the number, six were in Johor, including one in Johor Baru South, one in Johor Baru North, two in Kluang and two in Seri Alam, while the remaining three cases were in Pahang," he said.
He said that the cases are being investigated under Section 427 of the Penal Code for mischief, Section 29B of the Moneylenders Act 1951 for the harassment of borrowers, and Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act for using drugs.
"Six investigation papers have been opened by the Johor police, and they will be charged at the Batu Pahat court on Thursday (May 8)," he said.
