Kuang, 35, has never applied for a housing loan, a car loan or a credit card, has never been to Rawang, and has never rented a factory or a shoplet in his life. And yet when he logged into his bank account on August 22 this year, he discovered he could not make any transfers, and when he called the bank, he was told to come back to Malaysia to sort it out. He was in Dubai at the time, working in the sales department of a courier company. He flew back, and what was waiting for him was worse than anything he had imagined.
A wallet lost in 2019, a bill dated 2020
As reported by Sin Chew Daily, Kuang had reported his wallet stolen in December 2019, losing his IC and cash. He thought that was the end of it. He moved to Dubai in 2022 and built a career there. Then on August 26 this year, when he sat down with the bank after flying back to Malaysia, they showed him a letter from TNB stating that he owed RM363,088 in electricity bills accumulated between December 2020 and September 2021 across six factory and shoplet addresses in Rawang. TNB had sued him. The Insolvency Department had listed him as bankrupt.
“I have never applied for a housing loan, car loan or credit card. How could I possibly owe such a huge amount in electricity bills?” he said, speaking at the service centre of Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng
What someone did with his IC
With the help of Lim’s office Kuang requested a meeting with TNB officials and was shown the documents submitted in his name, tenancy agreements for six properties, a copy of the IC he had reported missing seven years ago and a forged signature that was 80% similar to his own. The documents also included a copy of another local man’s IC, with an address in Maluri. According to Sin Chew Daily, the forged signature and mismatched fingerprints on the TNB application were present in the documents and yet the applications had still been processed and approved.
TNB’s own investigation later found that two of the six premises had been involved in illegal cryptocurrency mining, leading to the electricity supply being cut off.
The remaining properties had collectively run up electricity bills totalling RM363,088 across five separate amounts before any action was taken.
Lim’s assistant Dic Lai raised the question that has since hung over the entire case: TNB typically acts swiftly when bills exceed RM1,000. Why did this particular case reach RM363,088 before anyone intervened?
Frozen savings and a job on the line
Kuang’s bank account remains frozen. Inside it is more than RM70,000 in savings he cannot touch. He has already spent at least RM7,000 returning to Malaysia, including a one-way flight, and that figure does not yet include legal fees.
His employer in Dubai has warned him that his position is at risk if he does not return soon, and calls from the company come in daily.
He also worries that this situation could affect his ability to travel internationally in the future, a serious concern for someone whose livelihood depends on working abroad.
TNB has told him the matter must go through proper legal channels before it can write to the bank to confirm his innocence. The police have taken his report but have yet to take further action or record his statement. An Insolvency Department officer, meanwhile, advised him to plead guilty so that he could be referred to the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency for debt restructuring.
“I will not plead guilty”
“I did nothing wrong so I will not plead guilty,” Kuang said. “I may also take legal action to clear my name and seek compensation, especially for the living expenses and flight costs I incurred while returning to Malaysia.”
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Read also: ‘I gave up my family to pursue my dreams’ Shares 34 YO M’sian woman – In Real Life
https://inreallife.my/i-gave-up-my-family-to-pursue-my-dreams-shares-34-yo-msian-woman/
‘I gave up my family to pursue my dreams’ Shares 34 YO M’sian woman
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