SINGAPORE - Three men have been arrested for suspected involvement in loan shark activities in two separate cases in Choa Chu Kang.

In a statement on Tuesday (Jan 23), the police said they received a report on Jan 13 involving a residential unit in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 that was splashed with paint, with loan shark graffiti on the wall.

A 22-year-old suspect was arrested near West Coast Highway on Monday.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to have carried out similar acts of harassment in Choa Chu Kang in the past and in Serangoon. A haversack, a cap and a mobile phone were seized.

In the second case, the police were alerted last Thursday to a case of loan shark harassment involving the setting of a fire at a residential unit, also in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4.

Two men, aged 28 and 32, were arrested in Lengkok Bahru on Monday. A sling bag, a jacket and two mobile phones were seized.

In both cases, the identities of the suspects were established through extensive ground inquiries and the use of police camera footage.

The three men will be charged in court on Wednesday under the Moneylenders Act.

First-time offenders found guilty of loan shark harassment face fines of between $5,000 and $50,000, with mandatory imprisonment of up to five years and mandatory caning of up to six strokes.

On Jan 6, Raslindawati Abdul Rashid, 35, and Joanna Michell Tan Jiamei, 28, were charged for allegedly setting fire to a Housing Board flat in Sengkang Central in a loan shark harassment case.