Aside from crushing levels of interest levied on borrowers, loan sharks are also known to wreck misery on debtors which leave a trail of devastation and heartbreak.
Such was the case for a young woman in KL, who sadly chose to end her life as she was unable to withstand the pressure of owing thousands of Ringgit to several loan sharks.
24yo M’sian woman takes her life at home
The tragic incident was shared by the woman’s boyfriend of two years, Luo (transliteration), who recounted the events in a sobering press conference.
According to him, he and the victim, Ms. Guo (transliteration), were co-renting an apartment in Cheras throughout their relationship.
On Mar 30, she informed Luo that her cousin was coming to visit and would stay over for a night and have barbeque too.
Since the apartment only had one bedroom, Guo asked Luo to go back to his own home, which he did so, not knowing it was all a ruse.
“When I tried calling her at 10am the next day, I couldn’t get through despite multiple attempts.
“I then rushed over and saw that she had collapsed inside the room. Paramedics later confirmed that she had been dead for about five hours,” he said.
Showed warning signs previously
Describing Guo as a quiet and reserved person who rarely shared her thoughts, Luo brought up a conversation she had with him which was the first sign of impeding trouble.
A day before the incident (Mar 29), she asked me, ‘If I were to leave one day, would you be sad or angry?’ It was at that point when I realised she had already been contemplating suicide.
“But she never shared her personal struggles with me, so I had no idea she was facing financial troubles,” he said, adding that Guo’s mobile phone business wasn’t doing well, which might have led her to turn to loan sharks.
Owed RM70,000 to loan sharks
Luo said when he was handling Guo’s funeral arrangements, he discovered she had owed RM70,000 to eight different loan sharks.
On top of that, he added he and his family began getting text messages from the loan sharks demanding payment, despite them knowing that Guo had already died.
With no respite in sight, Luo lodged a complaint with the head of MCA Public Services and Complaints Department, Datuk Seri Michael Chong, who was also present at the press conference.
If you or anyone is experiencing depression and needs a listening ear, please call the following helplines:
Befrienders KL
Contact: 03-76272929
Operating hours: 24/7
Befrienders Penang
Contact: 04-2910 100
Operating hours: 3pm- 12am daily
SNEHAM Malaysia
Contact: 1800 225757
Operating hours: 4 pm-8 pm daily
LifeLine Malaysia
Counselling Helpline: 03-4265 7995
Monday To Friday 9.30am – 10.30 pm, Saturday 2.30 pm – 5.30 pm
Late-Night Helpline: 011-5779 5803, 011-5779 5813
Friday & Saturday 10.30pm – 1.30am
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