S'pore-based loanshark sets wrong Johor house on fire, promises not to harass them again

A 70-year-old woman in Johor had her house and car set on fire after loan sharks allegedly mistook her family for debtors linked to an unpaid loan in Singapore.

According to Sin Chew Daily, the incident took place on Jun. 11 while the woman, identified as Lin Xiuyu (transliteration), was away in Penang with her daughters.

The family were alerted at about 5am when a neighbour called to inform them that their house had been set on fire.

A debt collection note was also allegedly left behind, warning that the house would be burned down if repayment was not made.

Family never borrowed from loansharks

Speaking at a press conference, Lin's daughter Chen Lifen said the family was shocked as none of them had borrowed money from loansharks.

"The problem is that we don't owe anyone any money, and we've never borrowed money from loansharks," she said.

After returning home, the family spoke to a neighbour who admitted to borrowing S$1,800 from loansharks in Singapore.

According to Chen, the neighbour said he was unable to repay the debt on time after his bank account was frozen.

Loan sharks allegedly targeted wrong house

The family subsequently sought help from Johor State Public Complaints Bureau officer Lim Dao Xiang.

After contacting the individuals behind the debt collection note, Lim said the loansharks admitted that a runner had mistakenly photographed the wrong house and vehicle.

As a result, the wrong family was allegedly targeted.

The loansharks reportedly apologised and promised not to harass the family again.

Fire could have caused greater damage

Chen said her mother usually lives alone at the house and could have been seriously injured had she been home during the incident.

She added that neighbours managed to extinguish the fire before it spread further.

According to the family, the fire started near the fuel tank of their car.

"If the fire hadn't been extinguished in time, it might have caused an explosion, and the whole row of houses could have been burned down."

Residents in the area have since become worried about falling victim to similar incidents, Chen said.

She also estimated that the damage to the vehicle could exceed RM20,000 (S$6,275).

Lim urged members of the public who receive debt collection notices from loansharks not to contact the listed phone numbers, as doing so may expose personal information to criminal syndicates.

He also called on authorities to take firm action against illegal moneylenders who resort to intimidation and arson.