Police in Klang removed some 700 ‘ah long’ advertisements in the area, in a special operation to get rid of illegal money lending activities.
Conducted in three areas — Jalan Pekan Baru, Jalan Goh Huat and Taman Berkeley — North Klang police chief ACP Mohd Yusoff Mamat told Bernama that most of the ads that were removed were pasted on lamp posts, walls and buildings.
“For the record, in the first four months of this year, we have received reports on 16 cases involving Ah Long and another 16 on non-existing loans from the advertisement posters and banners put up by unlicensed money lenders,” he was quoted as saying.
Police have also compiled all phone numbers displayed on the ads before handing them over to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). The phone lines would then be cut.
Loan sharks have long been known for their notorious debt collection methods and repeated harassment.
Earlier this year, The Star Online reported that loan sharks splattered paint and glue on a house and set the gate on fire after one of its debtors — who took out loans amounting to more than RM150,000 — gave her family’s address instead of her own.
The 25-year-old had reportedly run away from her house, keeping little contact with her family, who eventually became the subject of repeated intimidation by the ‘ah long’.
