Daily News

PETALING JAYA: Time is up for loan sharks high on the wanted list and police will now turn the tables on them by circulating their photos to the public through the media.

The 24-hour deadline given to these savage moneylenders has lapsed.

“Since they did not show up, the police will go after them,” Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said.

Their photographs will be made available to the press today.

According to Selangor CID chief Datuk Hasnan Hassan, as at noon yesterday, none of the Ah Long had surrendered.

Police have also arrested two more men believed to be involved in the abduction and confinement of three victims at a Seri Kembangan shoplot last week.

Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye called for the photographs of the brutal Ah Long and their runners to be displayed in public places.

“This is because the public is often not aware of the underhanded tactics some of the Ah Long are capable of,” he said.

“When people know who they really are, they will not dare borrow money from them. This can help reduce the number of intimidation cases involving Ah Long,” he said.

He also urged the courts to impose heavy penalties on merciless loan sharks to serve as a deterrent to others.

Citing the case of the three loan defaulters who were chained and tortured, Lee said this was an example of how the loan sharks were capable of inhuman acts.

He also called on the Government to study the circumstances that drove people to borrow from loan sharks.

“There are so many cases out there where people are desperate for even small amounts of money. They do not know where to turn to for help as financial institutions would not entertain them.

“The Ah Long business is flourishing because transactions can be made almost immediately,” he added.

Lee said it was high time the Finance Ministry carried out a study to find ways to help people who need micro loans to settle medical bills or to pay for their children’s education.