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S'pore loan sharks allegedly set fire to KL house over S$500 after M'sian debtor, 27, took his life

They said they still received threats after his death.

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January 22, 2025, 08:28 PM

Warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide. Reader discretion is advised.

Singapore loan sharks set fire to a house in Kuala Lumpur, allegedly over unpaid debts owed by a Malaysian man who had taken his life.

The man, He Wenjie (transliteration), 27, had been working in Singapore and borrowed money from loan sharks there.

He would go on to take his own life in Johor last December, his parents told Malaysian media at a press conference on Jan. 22.

Owed S'pore loan sharks S$500

He's father said that on Dec. 17, 2024, his youngest son found out from a Facebook post that He was facing financial difficulties in Singapore.

The brother then contacted He for more information.

"My [youngest] son told me that he owed loan sharks in Singapore S$500, and said this money was for daily expenses. As for the remaining people claiming to be 'debtors', he said they were scammers," said He's father.

Thinking his son could handle the matter on his own, He's father did not inquire further.

However, on Dec. 19, loan sharks started calling He's father, demanding the debt be repaid.

He's father tried calling He, but he was uncontactable.

Found dead in JB

The next day, loan sharks called He's father again, allegedly saying his son would "jump off a building soon", China Press reported.

He's father tried calling his son's roommate in Singapore, but was told that He had left the residence at 4pm and did not return.

Singapore authorities also confirmed that He left Singapore that day, on Dec. 20.

"On Dec. 21, I found out from an undertaker that my son had died in a hospital in Johor Bahru... That's when I knew he had left us," said He's father.

House firebombed after son's death

He's father alleged that even after his son's death, the family continued to receive threatening phone calls, and that their house was set on fire by a runner on Jan. 18.

So the family approached Lim Lip Eng, a Malaysian Member of Parliament (MP), for his help.

CCTV footage shared by Lim to his Facebook page showed that a man in a grey shirt and cap walked up to a gate of a house and stuck a sheet of paper to it.

GIF from Lim Lip Eng/Facebook

The man then lit a bottle and threw it into the porch, starting a fire.

As smoke filled the air, the man walked back down the street, using his phone to record the scene at one point.

GIF from Lim Lip Eng/Facebook

Lim wrote in his post that the house set on fire was located in Kepong, in northern KL.

Two police reports have been made, he added.

'We've lost our son. We just want this to stop.'

He's father said his son was a "quiet and honest person" and that he hoped that loan sharks would stop harassing their family.

He's father said, as reported by The Rakyat Post,

"These people claim our son borrowed money, but they’ve never shown any proof. We’ve lost our son. We just want this to stop."

The case has reportedly gained interest among lawmakers, with Lim calling for stricter enforcement against loan shark syndicates operating across the border.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001-01-4616 | Whatsapp: 65714400 (for targets of online harms)

Top image from Lim Lip Eng/Facebook

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