SINGAPORE - A 17-year-old male has been arrested by the police for his suspected involvement in a series of loan shark harassment cases.

On Saturday (April 2), the police received a report that the front door of a residential unit along Hougang Avenue 1 had been set on fire and secured by a bicycle lock.

Loan shark graffiti was also scribbled on the wall at the staircase landing near the unit.

After extensive ground enquiries and close collaboration, officers from Ang Mo Kio and Bedok Division established the identity of the suspect and arrested him along Punggol Walk on Tuesday (April 5).

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is believed to have committed similar loan shark harassments cases in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok and Tampines, the police said on Wednesday (April 6).

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