KUALA LUMPUR: A homeowner here is being hounded by loan sharks who targeted the property in pursuit of the previous owner’s son.
At a press conference organised by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, the victim who went by Lim said he bought the home in Taman OUG from an agent in 2019.
All was well until June last year when a notice was left in front of the home demanding repayment for a loan, failing which red paint would be splashed on the premises.
The money was reportedly owed by the son of the previous owner.
"I filed a police report the same day and there weren't any more incidents until this year.
"On May 17, the house was splashed with paint, which also hit my car," he said here on Monday (May 25), stressing that he had never borrowed from loan sharks.
Checks with family members of the previous owner indicated that the outstanding debt had been settled.
Chong said it was likely that the borrower did not change the address on his MyKad when he took out the loan.
"Do a background check on any property before buying. Talk to the neighbors and find out if there have been any issues.
"In this case, Lim later learned from his neighbours that the previous occupants had been hounded by loan sharks," he said.
On a related matter, Chong said recent cases of harassment by loan sharks have caused concern and urged stronger legal action against the ringleaders, instead of only arresting the so-called enforcers.
He said there had been 133 cases involving loan sharks, with losses of around RM14.5mil.
He added that there were cases of houses being burnt, resulting in deaths.
Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) vice-chairman Datuk Seri Dr King Lim Chin Fui, who was also at the press conference, said he would raise the matter with the Home Minister or Inspector-General of Police.
"We are here to highlight to the police that they should go after the bosses of these groups.
"MCPF will be meeting either the minister or the IGP very soon," he added.
