JOHOR BARU: Four suspects, including a woman, believed to be linked to a loan-sharking gang, have been arrested for targeting local borrowers working in Singapore and using brutal methods to enforce repayments.
The arrests have crippled the gang, which used social media to lure victims and collect debts through threats, paint vandalism, and other forms of intimidation.
The suspects – three men aged between 30 and 34, and a 27-year-old woman – were detained in separate raids across Johor Bahru on 17 April by the Johor Bahru (South) Gambling, Vice, and Secret Societies Prevention Division (D7).
Johor police chief, Commissioner Datuk M. Kumar, said the suspects were believed to be foot soldiers for a loan shark syndicate active in Johor and Pahang since March.
Police investigations revealed the group were paid between RM100 and RM350 to carry out acts of intimidation against borrowers who failed to repay loans.
These included splashing red paint, making criminal threats, and padlocking house doors.
The syndicate lured victims through loan advertisements on Facebook and TikTok.
Victims were then redirected to WhatsApp, where loans were disbursed into their accounts without any signed agreements. Interest rates ranged from a staggering 20 to 50 per cent.
“The main targets were Malaysians working in Singapore, with all transactions conducted via Singapore-registered bank accounts,” Kumar said in a statement today.
During the raids, police seized a car, four mobile phones, a bucket of paint, and a knife.
Urine tests on all four suspects returned positive for methamphetamine.
Kumar added that the arrests had helped solve nine cases linked to the syndicate – six in Johor (including Johor Bahru South, Johor Bahru North, Kluang, and Seri Alam) and three in Pahang.
Six investigation papers have been referred to the state legal adviser’s office for further action.
The suspects are expected to be charged at the Batu Pahat Magistrates’ Court today under Section 427 of the Penal Code for mischief, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Kumar urged the public to avoid clicking on online loan advertisements and to report any suspicious activity via the Johor police hotline at 019-279 2095 or its operations room at 07-221 2999.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
