Kota Kinabalu: Four separate police reports were lodged Thursday following incidents of vandalism and alleged intrusion at licensed moneylending business premises here and in Penampang.
Three of the establishments reported red paint splashed on their premises and one alleging attempted takeovers by groups of individuals claiming to act on orders from a “Tan Sri”.
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The incidents happened in Penampang, Kampung Air, Api-Api Centre and Asia City, prompting their business managers to seek police intervention.
On Wednesday, a police report was lodged by the manager of a licensed moneylending company here after four men allegedly forcibly seized and locked up the company premises in Asia City at 9.40am, claiming they were acting on orders from the same Tan Sri.
The first report on Thursday was lodged in Penampang by a 54-year-old woman company manager, who discovered red paint splashed on the front glass door of her premises at 7.20am.
Upon reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, an unidentified individual was captured splashing red paint around midnight on Jan 15.
A 36-year-old male manager in Kampung Air lodged a similar complaint in Kota Kinabalu after seeing red paint on his company’s door at 8am, Thursday.
CCTV footage showed an unknown individual vandalising the premises at 12.04am the same day.
In his report, the manager said the incident caused damage and defacement to the company’s property, raising concerns about the security of the premises.
The third case was reported by a 29-year-old manager from a company located at Api-Api Centre.
He discovered red paint on the premises’ door at 8am Thursday, with CCTV footage revealing the incident occurred at 11.59pm on Jan 14.
The fourth report involved a more serious allegation. A 34-year-old manager of a licensed business premises in Asia City reported that about 15 unidentified individuals entered the premises without permission around 9.38am on Jan 14.
According to the report, the group claimed they were acting on orders from a “Tan Sri” and said the premises belonged to the said individual.
The intruders allegedly ordered staff to leave the premises despite being informed it was a legal operating business with valid business and moneylending licences.
The manager said the group threatened to lock staff inside the premises if they refused to leave, and attempted to close and lock the doors, though the attempt failed.
Three police officers arrived at the scene during the incident, though the manager said he was uncertain whether further action was taken against the individuals.
All complainants requested police to conduct thorough investigations and take appropriate legal action against those responsible.
