Ah Long torches woman’s car over ‘loan’

 

Evil deed: Screencap of a video clip showing a man setting fire to Chook’s car in front of her house in Taman Setia Indah.

JOHOR BARU: A family of seven enjoying time together got a rude shock when they heard an explosion outside their house in Taman Setia Indah here.A housewife, who identified herself only as Chook, 30, said they rushed out and found the front of her car, which was parked outside, on fire. She said the incident happened at about 9pm on Nov 25.

“At first I thought there was something wrong with my car that caused the fire but a few minutes later, I received a video clip from a Singaporean number, showing a man setting my car on fire.

“The sender told me that my husband, who is a construction worker in Singapore, owed him S$4,000 (RM12,176) and threatened to do us more harm if we did not pay the sum, ” Chook said at a press conference organised by Pasir Gudang MCA Public Complaints bureau here yesterday.

She added that the Ah Long had photos of her and her husband’s MyKad and Singaporean work permit. The loan shark also demanded S$3,000 (RM9,140).

She believed her husband’s information had been misused as he had only sent them to his employer for work purposes.

“We decided to transfer S$3,000 to the Ah Long the next day, even though we did not borrow money because we were worried that our family would be harmed, ” she said.

Repairs for Chook’s car cost about RM20,000 as the fire had damaged the vehicle’s wiring, she said.

Pasir Gudang MCA Public Complaints bureau deputy chief Ang Tun Chek reminded those who received such threats not to get in touch or pay the loan shark

“They should immediately make a police report and seek help from a mediating body or non-governmental organisation, ” he said.

When contacted, Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Padzli Mohd Zain said the case was being investigated under Section 435 of the Penal Code. - Star