Ipoh: A married couple are living in fear after their home was splashed with red paint and they received death threats due to their son's non-repayment of a loan from an unlicensed money lender or loan shark. Chai Yoke Chun, 56, claimed that she received a threat via the WhatsApp application on Aug 19 from a man who alleged that her youngest son, aged 27, borrowed an initial sum of RM1,000 which then increased to RM15,000 (due to steep interests).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Chai said the floor of their house in Bandar Baru Putra, Bercham and their Perodua Axia car parked in front of their house were splashed with red paint in an incident that occurred around 4.45 am last Friday. "I haven't seen my son since Chinese New Year; he hasn't come home. I also don't know why he borrowed from the loan shark again because we had already settled the RM7,000 debt he borrowed from the loan shark last year."

"The same man sent a video of himself in front of my house and threatened that I need to pay RM15,000 to settle the debt, and if I don't pay, he will come to lock the gate and burn my house," she said to reporters at the Perak Barisan Nasional (BN) Service and Complaint Centre here today.

Chai said she had already filed a report at the Sungai Senam police station last Friday because she was worried about the safety of herself, her 65-year-old husband, and her brother-in-law who also lives with them. Meanwhile, the Perak BN State Service and Complaint Centre head Mohd Rawi Abdullah hopes that the authorities can take stern action against those involved in loan shark syndicates as cases have been on the rise recently.