JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- It was a case of being ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’ for a Singaporean man wanted by police in the republic who fled to Malaysia through an unauthorised route, only to be kidnapped and extorted by a syndicate.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk M. Kumar said investigations revealed that the 32-year-old man entered Malaysia through Johor in May and initially sought protection from the syndicate, only to become its victim and suffer injuries.
He said the case came to light after the victim's mother lodged a police report on Monday, informing that her son had been kidnapped in the Johor Bahru area and that a ransom of SGD80,000 (RM255,000) had been demanded.
Further investigations revealed that he had been abducted together with his 33-year-old Singaporean girlfriend.
“SGD5,000 (RM17,500) was paid via an online transaction, while the remaining amount was to be handed over at a supermarket,” he told a press conference at the Johor Contingent Police Headquarters here today.
Kumar said a special team from the Johor and Bukit Aman CID subsequently raided a supermarket in Nusa Bestari near Iskandar Puteri at 6 pm yesterday, rescuing both victims and arresting a 40-year-old local man while the ransom was being handed over.
At the time of the rescue, only the male victim was found injured, with slash wounds on both thighs believed to have been inflicted with a sharp weapon.
Kumar said four other local men and a local woman, aged between 32 and 46, were subsequently arrested in a series of raids around Skudai.
Checks found that five of the suspects had previous criminal and drug-related records, while urine screening showed that four had tested positive for methamphetamine.
Police also seized a set of house keys, 10 mobile phones, a shirt, a pair of trousers, a pair of shoes, SGD12,000 and RM41,400 in cash, a necklace, a Rolex watch and a Perodua Axia.
He said the case was being investigated under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961, with all the suspects remanded for 10 days from today under Section 12 of the same Act.
Meanwhile, the male victim was remanded for 14 days from today under the Immigration Act 1959/63, while his girlfriend, who tested positive for methamphetamine, was remanded for four days.
-- BERNAMA