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Most teenagers might snag a job at the local fast food restaurant when they need extra pocket money, but four girls aged 15 and 16, found a very different employer - they are 'runners' to loansharks.
Called 'runners' because they usually end up doing the dirty work of harassing debtors, these girls, believed to be accomplices, were caught vandalising a block of flats at Hougang Street 52.
The first girl, a 15-year-old, was caught by a father and son duo on May 1, when the 14-year-old boy first spotted the girl behaving suspiciously. He later alerted his father and the both gave chase when the girl tried to flee.
Police later found a blue marker pen, as well as various plastic bags and tins of paint on the girl when they arrested her.
A thorough investigation commissioned by the Ang Mo Kio police station resulted in another three girls being netted the next day.
Two of the girls arrested, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, were found to be schoolmates studying at the same secondary school. The other two girls, both 16, were school dropouts.
Formal charges were made against two of them this morning.
Those found guilty of helping illegal money lending syndicates can be find a minimum of $4000 up to a maximum of $40,000, face a jail term of up to three years, or both.
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