Man who hit debt collectors with helmet arrested, company responds to debtor being called a 'hero'

Many netizens took his side.

A debtor who was caught on camera hitting two debt collectors with a motorcycle helmet on the eve of Chinese New Year has been arrested.

In response to a Stomp query, the police said they were alerted on Feb 8 at about 6.55pm to a dispute at Block 202C Sengkang East Road.

The two debt collectors, aged 35 and 38, who work for a company called Singapore Debt Collection Service (SDCS), suffered minor injuries and declined medical assistance.

The 39-year-old debtor was subsequently arrested for a rash act causing hurt, said the police, who added that investigations are ongoing.

A video of the incident was posted on Facebook by SDCS on Feb 13.

A spokesperson for SDCS told Stomp: "First off, I want to send out our thoughts to the person involved. We're truly sorry for any distress caused.

"It's crucial to us that we handle situations like these with as much understanding and kindness as possible."

She added: "I also want to shout out to our team. They're out there doing their job within the rules and with a lot of integrity. Their safety and well-being mean everything to us, and we've got their backs 100 per cent.

"Let's clear something up - SDCS is all above board. We're here to do our job in a way that's fair, legal, and respectful to everyone. We're serious about helping sort out debts in the right way for our clients."

After sharing the initial video, SDCS posted more videos about the incident.

In one video, one of the debt collectors addressed netizens calling the debtor a "hero".

He said: "On the Feb 8, I messaged him. He sent me many messages I ignored. I only tell him if you don't want to negotiate, my team will continue to visit your place until you are willing to come down to talk to us.

"So if you all say that he's a hero, why did he want to delete the message?"

After sharing screenshots of the deleted messages, the debt collector continued: "So heroes would not delete the message. If you are a man, you answer for what you say.

"After multiple cursing and swearing even to the extent I cannot accept, I already tell him, 'When you got money, then talk.'

"Other things personal, we talk later."

This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.

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