Former restaurant owner refuses to pay supplier, allegedly throws scalding water at debt collectors

A former restaurant owner accused of owing a fruit supplier of almost S$50,000, allegedly torn up documents and even threw scalding water at credit solicitors.

The incident happened on Monday (Jun 12) at around 4pm, at the restaurant owner’s flat in Bedok North, Block 133, reports Shin Min Daily News via Lianhe Zaobao. 

A 12-second-long video clip uploaded online on Tuesday (Jun 13) stated that the owner, a man in his fifties had received his orders but did not pay the S$53,000 owed to the supplier. 

When reporters contacted an employee of the debt collecting firm, he said that the man had opened a restaurant around one to two years ago and ordered from a fruit supplier.

Even after the restaurant closed down, he did not pay the supplier.

The debt collector company employee said that he and two colleagues had gone down to solicit the payment the day they took up the client request. 

He said:

“We knocked on the door several times, and asked him nicely if he could negotiate about the repayment.

“However, he just slammed the door in our faces and had no intention to talk.

After the trio continued knocking on the door several times, the man opened his door and was handed the invoice for his debt, the man tore up the documents, crumbled it into a ball and threw it at the faces of the employees. 

The process was filmed and the video uploaded online.

In the video, the man had his wife appeared incensed, with the wife asking the employees why they were taking photos.

The man tossed the crumbled papers at the employees, but the papers hit the metal gates instead.

He continued to throw the papers at the employees, after his wife then picked them up and handed them back to him.

The entire time, an employee could be heard taunting the two, criticising the man for his ‘lousy aim’ and congratulating him when the man managed to throw the papers out. 

The employee added:

“The man and his wife even threw scalding water at us and called the police.”

When inquired on the matter, the police said that officers had mediated the situation, and left after giving both parties relevant suggestions.