Two men arrested for kidnapping a 79-year-old woman
The police on Thursday arrested two men in connection with a case of kidnapping.
A spokesman said that a report about the kidnap was lodged by a 52-year-old man after he received a call from a stranger who demanded a $20 million ransom for the return of his elderly mother. The victim, who is 79, was last seen on Wednesday morning in Hougang.
The son of the victim, acting on the instructions of the caller, then proceeded to drop off the ransom - comprising $2 million in cash - at Sembawang Park. The victim was released by the suspects on Thursday morning near Seletar West Camp.
After ensuring that the victim was safe, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Police Intelligence Department (PID) managed to track down the two suspects, aged 41 and 50.
The two were arrested in the vicinity of Hougang and Ang Mo Kio within 12 hours of the police report. The $2 million in ransom - which was negotiated down from the original $20 million - was also recovered during the arrest.
The younger of the two suspects is an odd-job labourer, while the older man is a credit card promoter. Both suspects are Singaporeans, but they are not related.
The police said that there have been only three confirmed cases of kidnapping for ransom in the last 10 years, and all perpetrators were arrested and later jailed for life. The $2 million is the highest amount paid in ransom in a kidnapping case here.
The victim was taken while she was walking along the road. She did not suffer any injuries.
http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/two-men-arrested-kidnapping-79-year-old-woman-20140109
The police on Thursday arrested two men in connection with a case of kidnapping.
A spokesman said that a report about the kidnap was lodged by a 52-year-old man after he received a call from a stranger who demanded a $20 million ransom for the return of his elderly mother. The victim, who is 79, was last seen on Wednesday morning in Hougang.
The son of the victim, acting on the instructions of the caller, then proceeded to drop off the ransom - comprising $2 million in cash - at Sembawang Park. The victim was released by the suspects on Thursday morning near Seletar West Camp.
After ensuring that the victim was safe, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Police Intelligence Department (PID) managed to track down the two suspects, aged 41 and 50.
The two were arrested in the vicinity of Hougang and Ang Mo Kio within 12 hours of the police report. The $2 million in ransom - which was negotiated down from the original $20 million - was also recovered during the arrest.
The younger of the two suspects is an odd-job labourer, while the older man is a credit card promoter. Both suspects are Singaporeans, but they are not related.
The police said that there have been only three confirmed cases of kidnapping for ransom in the last 10 years, and all perpetrators were arrested and later jailed for life. The $2 million is the highest amount paid in ransom in a kidnapping case here.
The victim was taken while she was walking along the road. She did not suffer any injuries.
http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/two-men-arrested-kidnapping-79-year-old-woman-20140109
