M’sian mum, 51, severs ties with drug addict son, 23, with S$2,580 debt after family harassed by loan sharks

A Malaysian mother, 51, publicly severed ties with her 23-year-old son, who used to work in Singapore, after his drug habit led to an RM8,000 (S$2,580) debt with loan sharks.

The 23-year-old ran away from home after learning that his mum wanted to send him for rehabilitation, leaving his family to deal with harassment by the debt collectors.

Addressing her son at a press conference, the mother said she did not blame him but had to cut him off publicly as she had no other choice.

Holed up in room after losing job

According to China Press, the mother, surnamed Yu (transliteration), has three children.

They live in Johor, Malaysia.

The son in question is the eldest of her three children.

He was employed in Singapore at an electronics retailer, but became addicted to drugs after mixing with the wrong crowd in the past year, Sin Chew Daily reported.

Around April this year, he lost his job and started holing up in his room.

"I could tell that his emotional state was off. His speech wasn't clear and he couldn't walk straight. I believe he was taking drugs," Yu said at a press conference, accompanied by a local politician.

Ran away from home

"I sensed something was wrong, so I made a police report. I wanted to send him for rehabilitation, but he ran away from home," she continued.

The son apparently returned home while Yu was away at work to clear out his belongings.

The family had not had contact with the 23-year-old since May 12.

After his disappearance, Yu started receiving phone calls from loan sharks on May 17.

They told her that the son had borrowed RM2,000 (S$645).

As it had been four days past the debt's due date, they demanded she pay RM8,000 (S$2,580).

Harassed by loan sharks

"I told them I did not have the ability to pay. They told me not to lie, possibly because they knew my daughter worked in Singapore," Yu shared, according to China Press.

The loan sharks have continued to harass Yu and her family, including her daughter, by sending them threatening messages, such as, "don't blame me".

Yu also shared that this was the first time their family had run into trouble with loan sharks.

She shared that her income was meagre and her daughter was also unemployed.

While her husband lived under the same roof, they had not had a relationship in years.

Believes son is not a bad person by nature

On cutting off her son, Yu shared that she was heartbroken by it, but admitted that she was mentally prepared for the worst to happen to her son.

She surmised that her son might have faced financial woes after losing his job, which led him to borrow from loan sharks to fund his drug addiction.

Yu's relatives had also told her that her son reached out to them to borrow money.

However, she believes that her son is not a bad person by nature and that he could still have a future if he met the right people.