The Brutal Reign Of The Moneylender Must End.

Many are the stories related in the newspapers as well as orally of the brutal ways of the along. This breed of vicious bloodsuckers who take advantage of the misery and financial woes of unfortunate people have been allowed too much latitude by the authorities. It is time that the government took a serious view of the menace they have become and the hardship they have caused to so many people, some to the extent of even committing suicide.

The overcautious and greedy established financial institutions including banks are in a large way responsible for this reign of terror by ruthless moneylenders. When even genuine cases are turned away from banks, sometimes ordinary folks have no recourse other than to look to the along for financial assistance.

Now after so much cruelty has been experienced by the poor, the authorities it seems have finally woken up and are taking measures to stem this menace. Apparently the compulsory registration of prepaid phones will aid in tracing hitherto hidden shylocks and the police have also obtained the list of registered moneylenders, as this NST report reveals:

Police have obtained a list of registered moneylenders in the country who will now be kept under close scrutiny. The list was obtained recently from the Housing and Local Government Ministry, which issues licences to moneylenders. Federal CID director Datuk Christopher Wan said they would use this list to identify moneylenders who harass their victims. "We will give those names to the ministry for further action. They can have their licence suspended or terminated."

He also called on those being harassed by moneylenders to lodge police reports. He said action could be taken by police if a person was threatened or their belongings damaged intentionally as scare tactics employed by moneylenders. Wan said there were even cases of relatives of loan defaulters being harassed. "It is difficult for police to help these people if they do not come to us quickly."

He said the list of moneylenders is expected to grow after Dec 15 — the deadline for prepaid handphone users to register their numbers. "Once that is done, it will be easier for us to track down all loan sharks."

Many loan sharks are known to leave their calling cards with just their telephone numbers in post boxes. And most of the time, it is difficult to trace these loan sharks because they only give their nicknames.

***** What else can the cops do to solve this problem? Any suggestion from the readers is welcomed.
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Earlier related post: The Curse Of The Ah Long.