PJ Ah Longs linked to two money-lending rings

Posted on 25 August 2011 - 05:31am
By Charles Ramendran (The Sun)
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA (Aug 24, 2011): Police said today investigations show that loanshark or Ah Long activities in the district are linked to two major syndicates involved in illegal money-lending.

Petaling Jaya Commercial Crimes Investigations Department chief DSP Mazelan Paijan said this was based on checks on telephone numbers on the stickers, flyers and banners illegally placed on lamp posts, telephone booths, building walls and other places by runners of illegal money-lenders.

He said police found 77 mobile phone and fixed-line telephone numbers of various telcos on the advertisements they had collected from various locations in Petaling Jaya and learnt that it pointed to two illegal moneylenders based in Klang and Pandan Indah.

He said police had called the phone numbers and summoned the suspected runners of Ah Longs but they often denied knowledge of being involved in loanshark activities.

Mazelan was at the Sungai Way police station here today where he headed a joint-operation with the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to tear down and remove stickers and banners placed by loansharks in the district.

"Although Ah Long activities have slowed down and are not rampant in PJ, we are being proactive in carrying out such prevention measures especially at this time when loan sharks are introducing special loan packages they promote as 'Raya loans'.

"Festive seasons are often a target of Ah Longs as they know people need money for the celebrations," he said before kicking off the operations at Dataran Mentari at Bandar Sunway where dozens of public utilities and properties have been scarred by the loanshark advertisements stickers.

He urged the public who spot those sticking such advertisements to call the police or MBPJ.

MBPJ also has an ongoing campaign where those who tip-off the council on such acts will be rewarded with RM100.

However, the measly reward will only be paid out if the culprit is caught and there is sufficient evidence to charge him in court.