Loan sharks turn dream home into family nightmare

My family moved into our dream home, a terrace house, in the east last year.

Our joy turned to shock when we woke up one morning to find our front gate and yard covered with red and blue paint.

There was also a note with the name of the former owner, his mobile phone number and the symbols 'O$P$'.

We realised immediately that this was the work of loan sharks.

We called the former owner immediately and he readily admitted that he had borrowed money from unlicensed moneylenders.

We asked him to inform the loan sharks that his house had been sold to us and to stop harassing us, but the harassment continued.

In the next four months up till last week, my house was splashed with paint in six more incidents.

Once, our main gate was chained with a bicycle lock. Another time, my car was splashed with red paint.

Our neighbours were also not spared. At least four other households were victims of the harassment and vandalism, because of the same borrower.

I have reported all the cases to the police, as well as appealed to my MP for help, but the situation has not improved. I pasted a sign on my gate saying that the former owner had already moved out, but it has not helped.

I also made the mistake of calling one of the loan sharks in an attempt to appeal for his understanding that I am the new owner.

Since then, he has been calling me and threatening to continue the harassment until he is paid.

The police have installed closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in my house but another case of harassment happened on the day of the installation.

Clearly the loan sharks are not afraid, since all the police can do is arrest the runners. The loan sharks can just get other runners to continue the harassment.

I am truly fearful for the safety of my family.

In the latest case, the loan sharks threw two beer bottles filled with paint into my front yard. The glass fragments were scattered all over the yard and could have injured my family.

I cannot imagine what the perpetrators will do next. Will they set fire to my house or break the doors and windows?

My family has been living in a state of fear. Our beautiful house has now turned into a mess with paint all over. I have given up cleaning because I know the loan sharks will strike again.

Right now, I see no end to my misery, and I have not received any updates on my case. I do not know when and how all this will end. What else can I do?

Julian Lee

Source: Sunday Times, 17 Jan 2010.