Ipoh woman says loan sharks from Singapore set her car on fire

The woman said she found a note on her car with two phone numbers with the Singapore country code and a message that said: “Call me back, settle your problem.” PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

IPOH – A 42-year-old woman is pleading to loan sharks to stop harassing her family after her car was set on fire.

The woman, who wanted to be known only as Ms Yip, said she found a note on her car with the message: “Call me back, settle your problem.”

Two phone numbers with the Singapore country code were included in the note, which was directed at her sister-in-law.

“I believe we are being targeted by ‘ah long’ (moneylenders) due to my sister-in-law’s dealings with them.

“I want them to know that we are not the ones who borrowed money,” she said at a press conference organised by Ipoh Barat Malaysian Chinese Association coordinator Low Guo Nan on Tuesday.

Ms Yip said neighbours alerted her to the incident on Monday morning and helped put out the fire.

Mr Low assured the family that the police would be looking into the case.

“I have reached out to the police and they will be investigating the incident as a criminal case. I have also asked them to increase their surveillance in the area so the family will feel safer,” Mr Low said.

Ms Yip’s mother-in-law, who wanted to be known only as Madam Cheng, said her daughter told her that it was her former boyfriend who had borrowed money from a loan shark in Singapore.

“I have asked her to please settle the matter. My daughter has not lived here for over 20 years. Please leave us alone as we are innocent,” she said, adding that she was worried about the safety of her four grandchildren in the house.

Madam Cheng said her daughter, who is in her 40s, apologised after hearing about the incident. The 62-year-old retiree has not seen her daughter since 2019.

Mr Low said incidents involving loan sharks from Singapore harassing families in Ipoh had increased in the past year. “We are seeing at least two to three reports per month,” he said.

He urged those affected by loan sharks to never engage with them directly or contact any phone numbers given.

“The first thing they should do if they receive such threats is to make a police report. We had a case earlier this year where a father was harassed by ah long because of his son,” Mr Low said.

“He thought he could settle the son’s debt by contacting them directly. Despite paying them off, the ah long then targeted the father and harassed him.” THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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