Lelaki diburu polis Singapura diculik sindiket di Johor

Johor Bahru: A Singaporean man sought by the police for involvement in a foreign syndicate was rescued and five suspects were arrested during multiple raids in Skudai, Johor. M Kumar, the Director of Criminal Investigation Department (JSJ) Bukit Aman, said the investigation found that the man had entered the country through Johor since last May, initially seeking protection from the syndicate before becoming a victim and sustaining injuries.

He said the incident was uncovered after the victim's mother reported to the police on Monday, informing them that his 32-year-old son was kidnapped in Johor Bahru for a ransom of SGD80,000 (RM255,000) before further investigation revealed the victim was also kidnapped with a 33-year-old Singaporean woman. "A total of SGD5,000 (RM17,500) has been paid through online transactions, the rest to be handed over at a shopping mall," he said during a media briefing at Johor Polytechnic today.

Kumar said the operation involved JSJ Johor and Bukit Aman special units searching a shopping mall in Nusa Bestari near Iskandar Puteri on Saturday evening and successfully rescuing both victims, while arresting a 40-year-old local man while they were paying the ransom. However, he said at the time of rescue, both victims were found to have suffered injuries, with both legs believed to be the result of gunshot wounds.

According to Kumar, the subsequent arrests involved four local men and one woman aged between 32 and 46 years across several raids in the Skudai area. Results showed that the five suspects had criminal and drug records, while four suspects tested positive for methamphetamine in urine tests. "Stolen items from the operation included a set of house keys, 10 mobile phones, a piece of clothing and shoes, cash of SGD12,000, RM41,400, a chain, a Rolex watch, and a Perodua Axia car," he said.

The investigation was conducted under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961 and all suspects were remanded for 10 days starting from today under Section 12 of the same act. The victims were also remanded for 14 days under the Immigration Act 1959/63 starting from today, while the woman found positive for methamphetamine was released after four days.