ISKANDAR PUTERI, Dec 2 — Police have identified a Singaporean illegal money-lending syndicate to a series of Molotov cocktail attacks on several homes here by a teenage girl.

In addition to torching cars, the 17-year-old suspect was also hired to splash red paint and to leave a threatening notes, warning the loan defaulters to pay up.

Iskandar Puteri police chief Assistant Commissioner M. Kumarasan said the teenage suspect is believed to be linked to three incidents targeting homes in Taman Bukit Indah, Kangkar Pulai, and Taman Damai Jaya late last month.

He added that investigations revealed the involvement of a Singaporean illegal money lender following the suspect’s arrest on November 27.

"The suspect admitted to being involved in the three petrol bomb attacks that employed the same tactics to threaten the victims.

"Police investigations found that the suspect received money from a Singapore loan shark syndicate as payment to petrol bomb the homes of its loan defaulters.

"Further checks also showed that the syndicate uses Singapore-registered mobile phone numbers in the notes left behind,” Kumarasan told reporters at the Iskandar Puteri district police headquarters here today.

Kumarasan said that the suspect, who was a school dropout and previously unemployed, applied for a job through an advertisement by the loan sharks on Facebook.

"The syndicate then offered the suspect payment of RM1,000 to torch a loan defaulter’s vehicle or house and RM600 for splashing red paint.

"The suspect, who operates alone, started the alleged attacks last month,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kumarasan said police had set-up a special team to deal with petrol bomb and paint attacks as it has become widespread in the district.

He said the team is tasked with carrying out operations to combat illegal and unlicensed money lending syndicates.

On November 28, it was reported that a teenage girl was arrested by police after throwing an improvised petrol bomb that caused damage to a car in Taman Damai Jaya, Skudai here the day before.

Police seized glass bottles, marker pens, a container with petrol, a mobile phone and a blue car from the suspect.