RESIDENTS of a housing area in the Batu Caves area in Kuala Lumpur are living in fear after being threatened by an illegal loan shark over an unpaid debt by a neighbour.
According to a post on social media by @nadiazaman, believed to be one of the residents affected, the 'ah long' left a note threatening all the residents there.
The note said a neighbour owed the 'ah long' money but had refused to pay.
"As neighbours, ask the person concerned to contact us and settle the debt. Do not challenge me to burn your house. Ask your neighbour to settle the debt fast," read the note.
Pictures posted on social media showed several cars, house walls and gates splashed with red paint.
"Their current modus operandi is frightening. If a neighbour doesn't repay the debt, the adjacent neighbours have their cars splashed with paint, and there are threats to burn down houses," she wrote.
A police report has since been lodged and in a statement, police confirmed receiving a report from a 31-year-old man who claimed his car was splashed with red paint in Taman Selaseh, Phase 2, Batu Caves.
Gombak police chief Noor Ariffin Mohammad Nasir said investigations revealed the incident occurred at 3.50 am and is believed to have targeted a resident in the neighbourhood.
"Two house gates and three vehicles, including a Proton Iriz, Proton Persona, and Perodua Myvi, were painted red.
"This act is believed to be targeted at a specific house on the same street and done by an unlicensed loan shark based on a note containing criminal threats directed at the residents of that house to settle their debt," he said.
Noor Ariffin said the case is being investigated under Section 427 of the Penal Code.
He urged eyewitnesses and those with information on the incident to contact the investigating officer Ahmad Irwan Mohammad at 019-571 2477 or the Gombak district police headquarters operations room at 03-6126 2222. - The Vibes, January 27, 2024