SHAH ALAM – Police have detained 38 individuals from 10 loan syndicates, or Ah Long, in separate raids conducted in Selangor between June 3 and 8.
Selangor police chief Datuk Arjunaidi Mohamed said the syndicates are believed to have been operating in the Klang Valley between two weeks to one year by promoting loan services to the public through advertisements on posters, buntings and pamphlets.
The syndicates offered loans up to RM1 million at high interest rates of 10% to 15% a month, he added.
“The suspects, aged between 21 and 61, are made up of 32 local men, two local women, three foreign men and a foreign woman. Of the total, 17 have criminal records.”
Arjunaidi said six cases have been reported involving Ah Long syndicates offering non-existent loans, which were promoted on various online platforms, such as Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram.
“The victims did not receive any money, but were instead duped into applying for a non-existent loan. For example, (they may request for) a RM10,000 loan, but required to come up with RM15,000 of their own money.”
During the raid, police seized RM57,170 in cash, 72 mobile phones, nine computers, seven vehicles, 61 ATM cards believed to belong to borrowers, and copies of personal records of borrowers. – Bernama, June 14, 2021
