Segar Road resident spots suspicious man with paint cans, detains him until police arrive

Three individuals, aged between 18 and 43, were arrested on Friday (Oct 16) in separate cases of alleged loanshark harassment that took place in Bukit Panjang and Jurong West.

Police said in a news release on Saturday morning that two of the three cases took place in Bukit Panjang, while another took place in Jurong West.

The 18-year-old male teenager was said to be involved in an Oct 9 evening case at a residential unit along Senja Road, where the main door was splashed with red and yellow paint and the wall beside the unit was scribbled with loanshark-related graffiti.

Meanwhile, the 43-year-old was involved in a separate case of loanshark harassment at a residential unit along Jurong West Street 93.

The case, which happened at about 6pm on Oct 13, saw the victim's main door splashed with green and blue paint and a debtor’s note placed on the main gate.

The third person arrested is a 31-year-old man, who was seen carrying a plastic bag filled with cans of paint in the vicinity of a residential unit along Segar Road.

The police were alerted after an occupant of the unit became suspicious of the man’s behaviour. He managed to detain the man and handed him over to the police upon their arrival.

A marker, several cans of paint and a debtor’s note were seized as case exhibits.

All three men are believed to be also involved in other similar cases of loanshark harassment islandwide.

They will be charged in court on Saturday with the offence of loanshark harassment.

If found guilty of the said offence, they could each face up to five years' jail, a fine of up to $50,000, and receive up to six strokes of the cane.

The police warned would-be perpetrators that they have zero tolerance for loanshark harassment activities.

"Those who deliberately vandalise properties, cause annoyance or disrupt public safety, peace and security, will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law," they added.

10 月 16 日星期五，三名年龄介于 18 岁至 43 岁的男子因涉嫌在武吉班让和裕廊西两地进行高利贷骚扰而被捕。

警方周六上午发布的新闻稿称，三起案件中有两起发生在武吉班让，另一起发生在裕廊西。

据称，这名 18 岁的男性青少年参与了 10 月 9 日晚发生在森加路一处住宅单元的案件，该单元的大门被泼上了红色和黄色油漆，单元旁边的墙壁上涂满了与高利贷有关的涂鸦。

与此同时，这名 43 岁的男子还卷入了一起发生在裕廊西 93 街一处住宅单位的高利贷骚扰案件。

这起案件发生在 10 月 13 日下午 6 点左右，受害者的大门被泼上了绿色和蓝色的油漆，大门上还贴着一张欠债人的纸条。

第三名被捕者是一名 31 岁的男子，有人看到他提着一个装满油漆罐的塑料袋出现在 Segar Road 附近的一处住宅区。

该公寓的一名住户对该男子的行为感到可疑，于是报警。他设法制服了该男子，并在警察到达后将其移交给警方。

警方扣押了一支记号笔、几罐油漆和一张债务人的票据作为案件证据。

据信这三名男子还参与了全岛其他类似的放高利贷骚扰案件。

他们将于周六在法庭上被控犯有高利贷骚扰罪。

如果被判犯有上述罪行，他们每人最高可被判处五年监禁、5万美元罚款，并处以最多六下鞭刑。

警方警告潜在的犯罪分子，他们对高利贷骚扰活动零容忍。

他们补充说：“那些故意破坏财产、制造滋扰或扰乱公共安全、和平与秩序的人，将依法受到严厉惩处。”