SINGAPORE - Seven men, aged between 35 and 48, have been arrested for their suspected involvement in a case of unlawful assembly, the police said on Friday.

 On Jan 15, at about 1.20 pm, police were informed that a group of debt collectors were causing a nuisance and creating a scene at Food Junction located at Funan DigitaLife Mall.

"Preliminary investigations revealed that the debt collectors were demanding loan repayment from one of the stall owners, during which it is believed that they had prevented customers from patronising the said food stall," said the police in a press statement issued on Friday.

Police established the identities of all seven suspects, and they were arrested between 10am on Feb 12 and 3.30pm on Feb 13 at various locations island-wide.

Computers, laptops and company documents were also seized.

Earlier news reports said that the group created a scene at the foodcourt in Funan Mall two days in a row last month. They were trying to collect $21,000 owed by a stall owner, reported The New Paper. The police was called in on at least one of the days.

Dressed in polo shirts with the words "debt recovery unit" on the back, the collectors from Double Ace Associates marched to the Chinese soup stall at about 1.20pm on Jan 15. Witnesses said they pushed the cash register, cooking equipment and utensils onto the floor.

The next day, they returned with a large banner that read "Attention. Debt collection in progress".

But Mr Frankie Tan, who heads Double Ace Associates, denied that his collectors caused the mess in the stall.