A 42-year-old delivery driver in Yishun has been subjected to increasingly aggressive harassment by loan sharks after borrowing money from them.
The intimidation reportedly included sending cement, funeral wreaths, and even putting up a public poster accusing him of defrauding people and committing sexual misconduct.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the large cardboard poster appeared at the void deck of Block 476B Yishun Street 44 on Thursday (20 Nov).
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Photos taken by members of the public showed the cardboard poster featuring the image of the “God of Wealth”, with a close-up photo of the man pasted below.
His full address was listed, along with text inviting people to go upstairs if they wished to join a “retreat”.
A separate slip of paper attached to the poster accused the man of “cheating money and women using the reputation of God to defraud the good believers of their money and beauty”.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
It also listed the names and phone numbers of the man, referred to as the “master”, as well as an “assistant” and two “partners”.
The man in the poster, Mr Huang, told Shin Min Daily News that he is neither a “master” nor the “God of Wealth”, adding that the poster was part of the loan sharks’ harassment tactics.
He explained that he had borrowed S$8,000 from the loan sharks earlier this year and had fully repaid the amount, but they allegedly demanded an additional S$10,000.
“I have already paid back the previous debts,” he stated. “I can’t fill this bottomless pit, so they started harassing me.”
His father first noticed the poster and informed him. After finishing work, Mr Huang reported the matter to the police, who removed it.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The harassment reportedly continued that night, with the loan sharks allegedly sending threatening messages warning that if he refused to pay, they would “use various methods to make [his] life miserable”.
This was not the first time Mr Huang had been targeted by the loan sharks.
He said they had previously sent a funeral wreath and delivered several bags of cement to his doorstep weeks earlier.
“The cement deliveries were piled up at my door, causing me a lot of trouble,” he said.
The repeated harassment has also affected his wife and children.
“I really have no way to help,” he added. “But I just hope that my family won’t be affected and that the loan sharks will stop their harassment.”
To deter further incidents, Mr Huang has since installed a CCTV camera at his door to record any activity.
Shin Min Daily News reports that Mr Huang previously ran a logistics company, but due to various issues, the business collapsed and his investments were lost.
Supporting three children, he said the financial and emotional pressure became overwhelming.
“I had no other choice but to borrow money, but I ended up in a bottomless pit,” he said. “What hurts me most is that I’ve dragged my wife and children down with me.”
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed to MS News that a report has been lodged and that investigations are ongoing.
Also read: Loan sharks send funeral flowers to Jurong West music school & neighbours, woman makes police report
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.