2004-01-17 12:56 Police yesterday (January 16) arrested nine men in connection with lending money to debtors in a deceptive and threatening manner in an undercover operation. Speaking at a press conference today (January 17), the District Commander of Tsuen Wan, Mr Austin Kerrigan, said that the investigation was launched in December 2003. An undercover officer from the District Crime Squad (DCS) of Tsuen Wan was deployed to borrow $20,000 from an unlicensed money-lending agent in Tsuen Wan on January 14. The officer was told to visit another unlicensed loan lending agent in Mong Kok on the following day where he met three other debtors. All the debtors were taken to a licensed moneylender in Nathan Road to process their loan applications. The officer was told that only $5,000 would be lent to him and had to be repaid in 14 instalments. Moreover, he had to pay a handling fee of $800. When the officer proposed to withdraw the application, he was surrounded by three men who behaved in a hostile manner and threatened to beat him up. The officer was then forced to sign a contract and pay $3,000 as deposit. After receiving a cheque of $5,000, the officer was then escorted by five men to a bank nearby to cash the cheque. One of these men immediately took away $3,800 from the officer. At this juncture, officers lying ambush in the vicinity arrested the five persons at scene. Police also arrested four other persons in the money-lending agents concerned. About $162,500 worth of cash, three sets of computer system, more than 2,500 debtor records and some accounting books were seized during the operation. Among the arrested nine men, five of them aged between 17 and 33 were charged with criminal intimidation and they appeared in Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Courts this morning. The remaining four men were released on bail at $5,000 each and required to report back two weeks later. Investigations by the DCS of Tsuen Wan are proceeding. |