Loan shark prank? Rider gets beaten up after delivering bak kut teh to Malay family
A woman was just trying to earn her keep, but was hurt after she allegedly got caught in a loan shark's scheme.
The GrabFood delivery rider, surnamed Wang, told 8World she received a cash on delivery order for bak kut teh (pork rib soup) on Friday (Dec 16) noon.
When she arrived at the doorstep of a flat at Bukit Batok West Avenue 5, a teenage boy opened the door and refused to pay, saying he didn't order the food.
He told her that as a Malay family, it was impossible for them to order bak kut teh.
"I encountered a prank order before, so I thought I was unlucky," Wang said.
So she left the flat and called the person who placed the order.
"But he told me someone was at home and urged me to deliver the food quickly, so I went upstairs again."
When she returned, she was stunned to see two people attacking a middle-aged man outside the flat.
The pair — the teen and a woman who appeared to be his mum — turned their attention to the delivery rider and cornered her.
"His mother hit me on the head and mouth several times. They also kicked me. They thought I took a photo them and tried to grab my phone," Wang said.
The boy even "chased away" passing neighbours, telling them not to "meddle in their business".
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After the attack, Wang said she called the person who had ordered the meal but she could not get through the line.
"I heard that the father of the family owed loan sharks $400, so the latter placed a bogus order to remind him to pay back the money," she said.
According to her, the middle-aged man she had seen earlier was a real estate agent who was tricked by loan sharks to go check on debtors living in the flat.
Wang's son subsequently made a police report.
Although she informed Grab about the incident and managed to cancel the order, Wang was upset about being beaten up when she was the innocent party.
In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at 3.15pm.
A 62-year-old man was taken conscious to hospital while a 45-year-old woman suffered minor injuries. She declined to be taken to hospital.
The police added that a 32-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy are assisting with police investigations.
Since 2020, the police have noted an increase in cases involving loan sharks making use of food deliveries to harass debtors.
"The unlicensed moneylenders would order large quantities of food or make multiple orders on the same day, and arrange for the food to be delivered to the debtors' homes, often late at night," they said.
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