Two men accused of loan shark harassment in Towner Road taken back to crime scene

SINGAPORE - Less than a week after two Chinese nationals had allegedly acted on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender in harassing the occupant of a Housing Board flat in Towner Road, they were taken back to the scene of the crime by the police.

On Jan 25 at about 10pm, Li Zhihong, 41, and Liu Xuetao, 42, allegedly locked the main gate of the flat with a bicycle lock and wrote a note to the debtor in blue permanent ink on the wall beside it.

They were arrested the next day after officers from Central Police Division established their identities using footage from police cameras.

On Jan 28, they were charged in court with one count each of loan shark harassment over the alleged offence.

Li and Liu are believed to be involved in other similar cases of loan shark harassment, including in Everton Park, the police said earlier in a press statement.

On Jan 31 at about 11am, police officers escorted the two men to the void deck of Block 105 Towner Road, which is near Boon Keng MRT station.

The duo were shackled at the feet and wrists and could be heard speaking to the officers in Mandarin.

The bespectacled Li was taken via a lift to the area outside the flat where the alleged offence occurred. He spoke to officers, standing next to the wall where the debtor note with the victim’s name remained visible.

Li and Liu will return to court on Feb 4 for a further mention of their case. 

For first-time offenders, the offence of loan shark harassment carries a fine of between $5,000 and $50,000, with up to five years’ jail and six strokes of the cane.