IN THE upcoming local TV drama serial C.L.I.F 2, Joanne Peh plays a police officer.

But in real life, the actress became the victim of crime when her car was vandalised by loan-shark runners on Monday.

Fortunately, like most of her television shows, this story has a happy ending as the alleged culprits were arrested on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, The New Paper reported that Peh's red Range Rover was found splashed with paint.

It was parked in a multi-storey carpark near her home in Tampines.

Peh said she was shocked and angry on seeing the state her car was in.

She told The New Paper yesterday: "I was indignant. Why me?"

She added that she feared for her own safety and that of her family's. But she quickly got hold of her feelings.

"I knew the police were handling it and I told myself I needed to have faith, that the people who did it won't get away."

Peh doesn't believe that she was targeted specifically.

She said: "They are targeting innocent people like us to make us angry, so that we will 'pressure' the debtor."

She also believes that the culprits had simply picked the most expensive-looking car to vandalise. She added she didn't believe in handling the matter herself.

Said Peh: "Taking things in our own hands isn't going to help. Call the police, let them handle it. We don't want to stoop to their (the vandals') level."

The actress added that since her case came to light, strangers have come up to her and shared similar stories of being harassed by loan sharks.

She said: "When I go out for lunch, people will come up to me to ask about my car.

"During make-up sessions, I have people showing me pictures of their homes or they'll say 'I'm so scared, they just got my number, we don't know what to do'.'

"I realised that there are a lot of victims of loan-shark harassment that have gone unnoticed in the papers."

Her faith in the authorities was repaid yesterday when the police, acting on information received, arrested three Malaysians for suspected loan-shark harassment after mounting a planned six-hour operation.

Detained

The suspects were detained at Woodlands Checkpoint as they were about to leave the country in a car.

A police spokesman said that they had been tracking the group for about a month.

During this period, the group was suspected to be responsible for more than 10 cases of loan-shark harassment islandwide, splashing paint on homes and scrawling graffiti on walls.

Two of the suspects are also believed to have splashed paint on another car on Nov 29.

Investigations are ongoing to establish if there are other suspects involved.

They will be charged in court today with loan-shark harassment.

Under the Moneylenders' Act, first-time offenders can be jailed up to five years, fined between $5,000 and $50,000, and be given between three and six strokes of the cane.

"The police take a serious view of loan-shark harassment, especially those targeting innocent victims," said Police Superintendent Aileen Yap, who heads the Unlicensed Moneylending Strikeforce.

"We are determined and will spare no effort in tracking down these persons and ensure that they face the full brunt of the law."

Said Peh: "I'm really glad that the police managed to catch (the suspects) and I'm quite interested in how they did it.

"Being on the show, I can tell you it's really not as easy as people think it is, when they're trying to break a case. We have to give it to the police for doing their best to maintain law and order in Singapore."

Peh is filming C.L.I.F 2, a 20-episode drama series that revolves around the lives of police officers based on real-life cases.

She reprises her role as Leow Xin Yi, a police officer with the Tanglin Police Division.

The series is expected to air next February.

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