KUALA LUMPUR: The family members of a 27-year-old man have announced their decision to sever ties with him after he disappeared once again, owing a staggering RM180,000 in debts.
According to China Press, the family held a press conference yesterday to formally disown their son, following years of harassment by loan sharks.
The man had accumulated RM200,000 in debt in 2018, prompting him to flee to Kedah to escape his creditors.
In a desperate move, his mother sold her late husband's car and used his insurance payout to settle the debt.
However, six years later, he has once again spiraled into debt, this time from online gambling and sports betting.
The man's elder sister, known as Hong, said that loan sharks came to their home last Friday (Nov 29) demanding repayment, even detaining her brother at a nearby coffee shop to pressure the family.
"We filed a police report, which led to the release of my brother. The creditors gave us one day to raise the money and even suggested mortgaging our house to pay off his debts," she said.
Now, her brother has vanished once again, likely expecting his family to bail him out, as they did in 2018.
"The creditors are still calling us daily, harassing the entire family. We are completely exhausted," she added.
The man's mother, known as Ong, has been unable to sleep since the incident.
Tearfully, she said, "It's heartbreaking," explaining that she no longer wanted her family to be put at risk of losing everything.
She confirmed that the family could no longer afford to support him and, as a result, had made the difficult decision to cut all ties with him.