JOHOR BAHRU: A 70-year-old woman narrowly avoided tragedy after her house was mistakenly set on fire by loan sharks pursuing a neighbour's unpaid debt while she was away on a family trip to Penang on June 11.
Lin Xiuyu's daughter, Chen Lifen, 44, said the family received a call from a neighbour at about 5am informing them that their house had been set ablaze, despite having no debts or dealings with loan sharks, and that a debt collection note bearing a Singapore phone number was found at the scene.
Upon returning home, the family learned that a neighbour had allegedly borrowed money from a loan shark but was unable to continue repayments after his bank account was frozen.
Chen said the neighbour's daughter, who works in Singapore, had reportedly lost money at a casino before borrowing RM5,688 from a loan shark.
Fearing for her mother's safety, the family sought police assistance and later contacted the alleged perpetrators, who apologised and admitted they had targeted the wrong property.
"He said his people made a mistake and that they would not bother us again," Chen told Shin Min Daily News, adding that they advised her to seek compensation from the neighbour.
Chen said neighbours managed to extinguish the fire before it spread to a vehicle's fuel tank, potentially preventing an explosion, while the family is now awaiting a Fire and Rescue Department report before filing an insurance claim for damages expected to exceed RM20,000.