PETALING JAYA: Five illegal moneylenders or Ah Long who resorted to violent tactics to extort cash from a 46-year-old company director were arrested by police on Wednesday.
The suspects, aged between 18 and 24, were held in a raid at a building in Kelana Jaya by PJ police at 4pm following a police report lodged by the victim about two months ago.
The suspects had allegedly harassed the company director and his mother by pelting eggs at their house and making threats daily even after he had settled the loan he took in full with interest.
The director’s troubles began in December last year when he responded to advertisements in Facebook of loan offers purportedly by a licensed moneylender.
The man who was having financial problems related to his business decided to take loans with several moneylenders who had put up advertisements in the social media platform without realising he was dealing with loan sharks.
Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid(pix) yesterday said the victim had borrowed over RM96,000 and later repaid RM101,000 to the loan sharks to settle the loans.
However, he said the loan sharks started harassing him and demanded another RM72,000.
Mohd Fakhrudin said another loan shark turned up and claiming to be a licensed moneylender, he offered the victim a loan to settle the RM72,000.
“Out of desperation and fear, the complainant took up the offer and signed an agreement which required him to settle the loan with a sum of RM120,000. When he could not afford to make the repayments, the loan shark sent his runners to the complainant’s mother’s house where threats were made everyday.” he said.
Mohd Fakhrudin said police also seized several items related to the case and learnt that the loan shark syndicate had been operating for more than three months.
He said three of the five suspects nabbed have past criminal records.
The men are being held under a remand order for investigations.
