Johor police arrested collectors who sprayed houses with paint at 450 ringgit each

JOHOR BARU, January 15. Four people, including three men and one woman, have been arrested in Johor for their involvement in a loan shark syndicate that carried out criminal intimidation by vandalizing houses.

The suspects, aged between 17 and 46, were arrested following a series of raids by Johor police on Jan 1 in Johor Bahru and Selangor.

“These individuals were paid by the syndicate to intimidate victims who failed to repay their loans by damaging their houses with paint,” said Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar.

During the raids, the police also seized several items, including mobile phones, cans of paint, threatening notes and various office supplies related to the crime.

Initial investigations revealed that the suspects had been operating in Johor since mid-December 2024, committing these acts of vandalism for a fee of RM450 each.

The loan shark syndicate operated mainly through social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok, promoting easy loans with high interest rates.

After concluding a loan agreement, the syndicate deposited funds into the borrower’s account even before the terms of the agreement were finalized.

If the borrower didn’t pay, the syndicate would use scare tactics, including vandalism in paint, to scare the borrower and his family into compliance.

The target group was Malaysian workers in Singapore, with credit transactions and disbursements made through bank accounts registered in Singapore.

With these arrests, Johor police have solved 11 cases involving similar methods, including several in Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Kulai, Batu Pahat and Pontianak.