A man in Johor Bahru has found himself on the end of wrongful harassment by loan sharks after he bought a secondhand home which was previously owned by the debtor.
Left with no options, he sought the help of Johor Bersatu associate wing public complaints bureau chief Lim Thow Siang to address his predicament.
Bought home in 2023
Speaking at a press conference held today, Xiao Ziqiang (transliteration) said he bought the home in 2023.
His wife and two daughters moved in early last year and they are now currently living together in the house.
Little did he know that the house would soon turn into a living nightmare for him.
‘Find the debtor for us’
In August of this year, Xiao said a loan shark runner came to his house on a motorcycle and pasted a large notice while trying to lock the main gate.
“When I told the runner that I didn’t owe any money, he called his “boss” and let me speak to the “boss” directly.
The “boss” told me that although he knew I wasn’t the debtor, he demanded that I track down the real debtor or the harassment will not stop.
“I later found out that the home was previously owned by a 30-year-old who amassed huge debts and that loan sharks had previously come to collect what was owed to them,” he recounted.
Xiao also admitted to not conducting background checks before buying the house.
Xiao said runners returned to the house again on Dec 21 at around 12.30am, where they pasted notices while his wife and children were inside.
Home, cars ‘decorated’ with red paint
On the same night, the runners also threw red paint at the house, where it landed on the front gate and two cars belonging to Xiao.
Another car which belonged to a neighbour was also affected.
“The neighbour initially thought I owed money and scolded me angrily. When he learnt about the truth, he revealed loan sharks had previously splashed red paint on his car too.
“I lodged a police report and they informed me that the previous homeowner had also done the same and claimed to have settled his debts,” said Xiao.
Fears for family’s safety
Xiao said he spent hours scrubbing the paint off his cars and now uses a canvas to cover the front gate to prevent loan shark runners from splashing paint on it.
He also expressed worry for his family’s safety following the incident.
Meanwhile, Lim said he will assist Xiao in dealing with the loan sharks and urged the latter to locate the real debtor themselves instead of harassing innocent parties.
He also called upon the public to call the police hotline at 07-2212999 if they notice any suspicious individuals loitering outside their homes.
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