KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — A 15-year-old teenager is reportedly RM13,000 in debt to loan sharks or "ah long”, among the many victims that are being assisted by an Islamic group called Darul Muttaqin (DM).

The reason behind him turning to loan sharks? To satisfy his girlfriend’s craving for "siakap tiga rasa” — or barramundi cooked in spicy, sweet and sour sauce, according to Malay daily Kosmo.

"The teenager came across an advertisement on TikTok for an ‘ah long’ after his girlfriend craved the dish,” DM Fardu Ain and Quran Studies Centre manager, Fariz Izhar Adrus, reportedly said.

"Maybe he was too embarrassed [to borrow money from his parents], and eventually, he borrowed from ah long.”

The report said that the teenager from Selangor had owed money to 12 loan sharks, before turning to DM for help.

DM was also quoted saying the teenager’s parents have since been notified, and he has dropped out from school.

The group claimed that it had helped out with 3,700 cases involving Malaysians aged between 15 and 60 who got into trouble with loan sharks.

It claimed that it receives 50 cases daily, with four out of five of them involving women.