JOHOR BARU – Ah Longs operating in Singapore are harassing a family in Johor Baru here, even after they told them that they did not borrow money from the lenders.
A family member under Covid-19 lockdown in Singapore since March last year is seeking help from the police, as the family home was on the receiving end of three attacks – including the infamous dousing of red paint – in the space of two months.
He said that the latest assault on February 9 marked a decisive escalation, with petrol bombs being hurled at his house.
The 32-year old man feared for the safety of his wife and children, aged 1 and 4, living at Taman Bukit Mewah in Tampoi.
He claimed the family was in no way responsible for borrowing money from the loan shark seven years ago.
“I rented out a room in my house to one of my relatives and the woman borrowed S$800 (RM2,441) from the Ah Long in Singapore.
“She moved out after several months. On December 20, while my wife was outside she received a call from a neighbor informing her that someone had splashed red paint on my house.
“She rushed home to check and found the grill gate and car parked in the compound splashed with red paint and a note asking for repayment, threatening to burn the house otherwise,” he told the Vibes in a telephone interview from Singapore.
The man called the tenant and informed her about the incident and had asked her to settle the money with the Ah Long.
She transferred S$800 and shared the bank slip to me. On January 27, the Ah Long called me again and asked me to pay for his workmen.
“After that I transferred RM2,000 and RM3,000 to a local bank account, but he continued to harass me and demanded RM6,000 more to settle the issue.
On January 27, two men came to the house and splashed red paint again on two cars, as well as the grill and main gates at the front of the house.
“The Ah Long sent a message to my phone, threatening to burn the house and kill my family. He even challenged me to go to the police as no one can identify him.
“As a final resort, I am seeking police help to overcome the problem immediately as I do not know what to do and the syndicate continues to harass me and my family,” he said.
The wife had lodged three police reports over the matter and has taken the children into hiding.
Attempts to get the police and local authorities to comment were unsuccessful. – The Vibes, February 13, 2021
