Police arrest man involved in setting fire to two flats
PUBLISHED ONJune 16, 2015 12:20 PM
SINGAPORE - Police have arrested a 31-year-old man in connection to the loan shark harassment case in which the gates of two flats at Block 272 Toh Guan Road were set on fire.
The police said in a statement on Tuesday (June 16) that officers established the identity of the suspect with the aid of police cameras in the vicinity of the incident, and arrested the man in Toa Payoh Lorong 5 on Monday at about 5.20pm.
Loan shark-related "paraphernalia" such as cans of paint, bicycle chain locks and marker pens were seized during the arrest.
The gates of the two flats in Toh Guan Road were torched late on Friday night. Earlier reports said that the police were informed of the incident at 12.08am on Saturday.
Residents believe that the suspect set fire to the two flats above a debtor's flat after he was deterred by closed-circuit television cameras installed outside the debtor's flat.
The suspect is also believed to be involved in more than 10 cases of loan shark harassment islandwide, including at least five cases involving fire, the police said.
Shin Min Daily News reported that the suspect was escorted to the scene of the crime this morning at about 10am.
The Chinese daily reported that the suspect, a Malay man, was covered with tattoos. It also said that it was understood that the man was a Singaporean.
The police said that the man will be charged in court tomorrow for loan shark harassment. If found guilty, a first-time offender may be jailed up to five years, fined between $5,000 and $50,000, and may be sentenced to three to six strokes of the cane.
sinsh@sph.com.sg