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KUALA LUMPUR – Police on Friday arrested 17 people suspected of involvement with an unlicensed moneylending syndicate in Pusat Perdagangan Puchong Prima, Taman Puchong Prima.
Subang Jaya district police chief Abd Khalid Othman said police raided a shoplot at about 3pm and arrested eight men and nine women, including the owner of the premises.
The others were believed to be staff members of what was a call centre.
“Following a check on the premises, police seized several items believed to be used in promoting and offering bogus loans to the public.
“The seizure included 35 mobile phones, eight desktop computers and a laptop,” he told a media conference at the Subang Jaya district police headquarters (IPD) here today.
Abd Khalid said the suspects between the ages of 18 and 37 were taken to Subang Jaya IPD for further action.
He said the syndicate’s modus operandi was to promote their loan schemes on social media platforms including via WhatsApp, targeting small business owners with loan offers of between RM200 and RM1,000.
“Most of the police reports received stated that the syndicate failed to transfer the agreed amount to clients, but still demanded repayments with high interest rates,” he said.
The suspects are on a four-day remand until March 17 to facilitate investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. – Bernama, March 14, 2021
