Man who allegedly set fire to Jurong East flat in loanshark harassment case taken back to crime scene

A 21-year-old Malaysian man was arrested on Monday (Sept 7) for allegedly setting fire to a Jurong East flat in a case of loanshark harassment.

Police said on Tuesday evening that the alleged crime happened at about 6.40pm on Sunday.

Officers from Clementi Police Division, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Police Operations Command Centre established the man's identity and arrested him within 15 hours of the report.

He was then taken back to the alleged crime scene by investigation officers, where he was seen being questioned on a loanshark-related graffiti on a wall.

A photograph provided by the police shows the gate and main door of the victim's unit with burn marks and damages caused by the fire.

The man will be charged in court on Wednesday with the offence of loanshark harassment.

If found guilty of the said offence, he could be jailed for up to five years, fined up to $50,000, and receive up to six strokes of the cane.

CID director Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SAC) Julius Lim warned would-be perpetrators that the police will spare no effort in bringing to justice those who harass others on behalf of unlicensed moneylending syndicates, especially when lives and property are endangered.

"We will remain relentless in pursuing all perpetrators of such crimes," SAC Lim added.

The police also stated that foreigners found to have borrowed from or convicted of aiding the activities of unlicensed moneylenders, will have their student or work passes cancelled and subsequently deported from Singapore upon completion of their sentence.

一名21岁的马来西亚男子于周一（9月7日）被捕，他涉嫌在裕廊东的一起高利贷骚扰案中纵火焚烧了一间公寓。

警方周二晚间表示，这起涉嫌犯罪事件发生在周日晚上6点40分左右。

金文泰警署刑事侦查局和警察行动指挥中心的警员在接到报案后 15 小时内确认了该男子的身份并将其逮捕。

随后，他被调查人员带回了涉嫌犯罪现场，在那里，他因墙上与高利贷有关的涂鸦而接受讯问。

警方提供的照片显示，受害者住所的大门和正门上有火灾造成的烧痕和损坏。

该男子将于周三在法庭上被控犯有高利贷骚扰罪。

如果被判犯有上述罪行，他可能被判处最高五年监禁，罚款最高 5 万美元，并处以最高六下鞭刑。

刑事侦缉处处长高级助理警务处长林俊杰警告潜在的犯罪分子，警方将不遗余力地将那些代表无牌放贷集团骚扰他人的人绳之以法，尤其是在生命和财产受到威胁的情况下。

“我们将继续毫不松懈地追究所有此类犯罪的肇事者，”林警官补充道。

警方还表示，凡被发现向无牌放贷者借款或被判协助无牌放贷者活动的外国人，其学生或工作准证将被取消，并在刑满释放后被驱逐出新加坡。