Heartbreak in Taiping: Beloved 'Pisang Goreng' vendor, famed for serenading customers, meets tragic end

SHAH ALAM - The harmonious sizzle of Ah Kun's banana fritters used to draw a joyful crowd, but joy turned to tragedy when a heated dispute with a customer led to his shocking and untimely death.

The heart-wrenching incident, that unfolded at a market in Pokok Assam, Taiping on September 12 at around 4pm, began when Ah Kun -- whose real name was Chor Kok Kuan -- got into a heated verbal dispute with a customer who had allegedly touched the banana fritters with his bare hands.

China Press and Sin Chew Daily reported that the situation then escalated, leading the customer to chase Ah Kun into a nearby alley, where he proceeded to vandalise Ah Kun's stall before departing.

After the customer left, Ah Kun returned to his stall to clean up the aftermath, unsuspecting of the impending tragedy that was about to follow suit.

In what can only be described as an act of unquenched anger, the customer returned, this time wielding a wooden stick.

Without warning, he struck Ah Kun on the back of his head before swiftly leaving the scene on a motorcycle.

Ah Kun succumbed to the assault and reportedly lost his life on the spot.

Two hours following the incident, the authorities have successfully nabbed the 49-year-old suspect, who was subsequently taken to Taiping Court for detention.

Oriental Daily reported that the suspect was a contract labourer who had gone through a divorce.