Ah long strikes the wrong target

Rude shock: Low (in yellow) with Lam (left) showing the red paint splashed at the house in Taman Cempaka. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star

IPOH: A family mourning the death of their father was stunned when one of their cars parked in front of a vacant house got splashed with red paint.

Salesman Muhammad Abdul Halim Zaini, who believes that it was the work of loan sharks targeting the former occupants of the vacant house, said all his family members, who live in different parts of the country, had gathered at his mother’s place in Taman Cempaka since Wednesday.

“There was not enough space to park our cars since there were so many of us,” he said, adding that he resorted to parking his sister’s car in front of the house across the road on Thursday night.

He said the house had been unoccupied following the recent death of a woman who lived there.

“It is likely her son is the target (of the red paint warning),” he said, adding that there was a note left near the gate with a man’s name on it and a contact number.

Recounting the incident when Perak MCA public services and complaints bureau chief Low Guo Nan visited him yesterday, Muhammad Abdul Halim said: “I slept at about 2am and heard nothing. So I was shocked when I went to the car at around 7am.”

Lam Ah Lek, who is the brother of the deceased woman, said his sibling died last month.

But her son, who is in his 40s, did not come back for the funeral, said Lam, who lives nearby too.

“He has been missing for nearly seven years. No one knows where he is or what he is doing. We are unable to contact him.”

Lam, 67, said loan sharks had splashed paint onto the porch six months ago.

“At that time, a tenant who parked his car in the porch, had red paint all over his car.

“With my sister gone now, the house cannot be put up for rent or sold off as we are worried that the loan sharks would harass those staying in that house,” he said.

Low hoped that police would investigate the matter.

“Lam is afraid that the loan sharks may come back to destroy the house or do something worse,” he said.