By Zarina Abdullah

KUALA TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA - A 54-year-old man learnt a bitter lesson for borrowing RM70,000(S$28,651) from a loan shark.

He was assaulted by thugs hired by the loan shark after he failed to settle the amount.

In the 11.30pm incident near Jalan Tok Lam, here, the victim was approached by four men before one of them slapped him.

State CID chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Fauzi Abduri said that before the suspects left the scene, one of them also threatened to harm the victim further should he fail to settle the loan the following day.

Fauzi said fearing for his safety, the victim lodged a report at the Kuala Terengganu police station the next day.

In a separate incident, a 15-year-old school dropout was injured in an assault by two men armed with sticks near a hut in Kampung Paya Kemudi, Dungun on Saturday.

The victim, who works as a labourer, was resting with friends when he was attacked in the 7pm incident.

He suffered bruises on the face, head and body from the 10-minute assault.

Fauzi said the victim lodged a report at the Dungun police station at 10pm the same day. The victim claimed that the suspects could have been angry as he was accused of a motorcycle theft several days earlier.