MHO urges police to probe mobile phone content linked to loan shark syndicate

MHO urges police to probe mobile phone content linked to loan shark syndicate

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) has urged the police to investigate the contents of a mobile phone believed to belong to a member of an illegal moneylending syndicate (ah long) after data related to the group’s activities was found on the device.

Its secretary-general, Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim, said the organisation had lodged a police report regarding the device, which is believed to contain incriminating evidence of the syndicate’s operations.

He said the syndicate valued the phone and allegedly offered money to MHO activists to retrieve it.

“They contacted us and offered money for the phone to be returned, starting at around RM15,000, and the offer escalated to RM2 million,” he told reporters here today.

Hishamuddin said the device contained information and documents, including a 69-page operations manual detailing the syndicate’s modus operandi.

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“The manual clearly explains how operations are conducted, including steps to be taken if an arrest occurs, what to say to the authorities, and the management structure within the syndicate.

The documents also show that the syndicate’s activities are carried out in a highly organised manner, much like a corporate organisation, with a division of labour, sales reports and profit distribution to members,” he said.

He added that the phone showed the syndicate had access to victims’ personal information, such as identity card numbers, home addresses and family details.

“The information is believed to have been obtained through an internal application system that stores victims’ data, which is used by syndicate members to track and exert pressure on borrowers,” he said.

Hishamuddin said the documents revealed that the syndicate charged interest rates above the legal limit.

“Under Section 17A of the Moneylenders Act 1951, the interest rate for unsecured loans cannot exceed 18 per cent per annum. However, the documents reveal that their monthly interest rate must not be less than 13 per cent, with additional charges of at least six per cent per month,” he said.

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He added that the phone contained video recordings of intimidation tactics, including red paint being splashed on victims’ houses, which were believed to have been recorded by syndicate members as evidence for their leaders.

Hishamuddin said one group in the syndicate, with about 25 members, reportedly made profits of up to RM27 million last year.

An MHO activist known as ‘Joshua’ said the phone was found after several people, believed to be syndicate members, fled while he and his colleagues were helping a victim who was allegedly surrounded by an ah long group in Kampung Sungai Penchala on March 3.

Joshua claimed that all evidence found had been handed over to the police to assist in further investigations.

Bernama has contacted the police to verify the report lodged by MHO and is waiting for a response from the authorities.