Pandemic-hit brothers face threats, make desperate plea for help

KUALA LUMPUR – Things appeared bright for brothers Dayalan and Ranjith Kumar Ganeson in 2019 when revenue was flowing in, and plans were underway to expand their promising lorry logistics business.

Fast forward to today, the duo is now neck-deep in debt, reeling from the economic crush of the Covid-19 pandemic, and are appealing to the public to engage their services to enable them to continue earning an honest income.

They now face threats from ruthless loan sharks, seizure of their vehicles and humiliation among their kin, as they tip-toe across debts of over RM150,000.

Their dire situation is emblematic of the predicament faced by honest and hardworking lower-income entrepreneurs across Malaysia who are forced to live hand-to-mouth with little or no financial breathing space. 

With the growing commitments, not having enough money to repair their two broken-down lorries, months of staff salaries owed, and countless creditors hounding their backs, the brothers hit rock bottom.

Things became worse when their relatives, friends, neighbours, and community members started to shun them, as many tried to avoid being approached for help.

“Just a few weeks ago, we sat and spoke to each other, and thought to ourselves, there is really no way out of this; even if we keep on living, in one or two months things will not improve.

“The debt will keep on growing, people will not stop looking for us, and loan sharks might come after us, so, we thought it was just better to commit suicide,” said a teary-eyed Dayalan in an interview with The Vibes.

It was the moral and emotional support from their family that kept them from taking their own lives and finding the will to carry on.

“Our parents, even if they are not very healthy or wealthy, have always been there for us; they told us not to worry, we can find a solution together. No need to commit suicide,” Dayalan said.

How it all began

Dayalan, 30, the eldest of three siblings, explained that he took over the reins of the business from his ageing father in 2015.

Within four years, he managed to expand the operations from a single-lorry enterprise into a fleet of seven transporting daily loads interstate.

He then managed to convince his brother Ranjit, 28, to come on board to assist him in running the family business.

As the business began to grow, they made plans in 2019 to further expand the fleet and take on several warehouses.

They were also hopeful of providing a better life for their parents and 23-year-old younger sister – all of whom are now living in a cramped two-room terrace home in Taman Gemilang, Bukit Raja, along with Dayalan and Ranjit’s spouses. 

Little did they then know that in 2020 they would be blindsided as the pandemic forced businesses and services to halt.

When it started going downhill

Dayalan said the first bump was when they found their payments to the company leasing lorries to them had gone unpaid for six months from April to September 2020.

“We thought the creditors were like the banks who gave loan and repayment moratoriums, but as we found out, our instalments just continued accumulating over those six months.

“So that was when the borrowing started because we could not operate for six months, which meant no revenue. So how else would we have made the payments?” he said.

Even when the economy began reopening in stages in October 2020, the brothers’ optimism quickly faded when their clients did not seek their services anymore.

For example, a customer who used them to transport arowana fish from Penang to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) almost daily for shipment to China, told them that their services were no longer needed.

“It was not just this one customer; many others who used to engage our lorries daily, those who relied on us for interstate deliveries, suddenly all went missing.

“So, we were forced to make do with the little business we had left, while trying to source for new customers. All while the bills, repayments, and instalments kept on accumulating,” said Ranjit.

“Our monthly overhead costs are around RM30,000, but with revenue of only RM20,000 at its most, it will never be enough to cover everything.”

Then in November 2020, one of their lorries caught fire while it was out on a delivery, destroying the lorry-load of their client’s products along with the vehicle.

As a result of not being insured, they are made to repay their customer the value of items lost in the fire and compensation for the lost vehicle out of their pockets.

Almost RM60,000 worth in gold belonging to their family members, more of their parents’ was pawned off as they tried to survive the hardship.

They started borrowing a few hundred ringgit from close friends, and this grew to a few thousand from their in-laws, and slowly the debt snowballed to tens of thousands while their business never picked up.

Loan shark triumvirate

The brothers were then introduced by a friend to the services of a loan shark with exorbitant interest rates.

“We were desperate. So, we approached a friend, asking if he knew anyone who would loan us more money, and that was when he suggested contacting a loan shark. He told us we would surely get the money we wanted,” Ranjit explained.

In April 2021, the brothers decided to borrow RM10,000 from a loan shark at an interest rate of 10% per month. They then took further RM10,000 and RM30,000 loans from two other loan sharks in September and December last year.

“They made us sign agreements and gave us a very, very stern warning to never be late with our repayments. 

“If they said it must be paid by noon, it has to be in by then. They told us if we’re consistent then there’s no problem, but if we miss payments then there will be problems,” said Ranjit.

Despite paying more than RM15,000 to date, the brothers have yet to begin repaying their principles with all three lenders. 

“We don’t know yet. We are not ready to find out,” responded Dayalan when asked what would happen if they missed a payment with the loan sharks.

He whipped out his mobile phone to show a message he had just received from the leasing company, threatening to repossess their lorries if no payment was made by the end of Thursday.

Remaining hopeful

Among those who caught wind of the brothers’ plight was philanthropist Datuk Pardip Kumar Kukreja, who is chairman of Tara Foundation, an NGO that aims to ensure children of B40 families receive proper education.

Pardip appealed to Malaysians for their generosity to help the brothers.

“Right now, what is needed can only be found with crowdsourcing. I will try to speak to several creditors and maybe the workshop, to which they owe money, but there is no guarantee there,” he said.

Pardip, a tourism industry player himself, said he would coach the brothers on some management and financial acumen, but ultimately their business must return to being profitable to keep their heads above water.

Besides money, the brothers say they desperately need more clientele to give some cash flow and breathing space.

“Maybe if someone is willing to give us a contract to engage us permanently, that would be really good, or if anyone needs daily transportation of goods. We are just trying to make a fair living and recover from the mess we are in,” Dayalan added.

Those willing to assist the brothers can contact 010-783-6361 or 010-295-4492. – The Vibes, January 28, 2022

Those suffering from mental health issues can call Talian Kasih at 15999, or reach out to Befrienders at 03-7627-2929 or [email protected] for support