SIM student from China was kidnapped after entering JB on 30 April
A teenage Chinese national studying at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) was reportedly kidnapped during a recent trip to Johor Bahru (JB), with the kidnapper demanding a ransom of 3.5 million yuan (S$624,000) from his parents.
Thankfully, the Malaysian police rescued the 18-year-old and have arrested a suspect.
Source: China Press
Video shows IT student at SIM kidnapped after going to JB
The victim, an IT student at SIM, went to JB for unknown reasons on 30 April, his parents told Malaysia’s China Press.
Last Friday (2 May), his mother received a call from her only child’s QQ account along with a video showing her son getting beaten and strangled.
Souce: China Press
The video shared by China Press showed the victim, wearing only underwear, strapped to a chair with his mouth gagged.
Source: China Press
The kidnappers then pushed the hostage forcefully to the ground before kicking him. They also poured water over his taped mouth, causing him to choke.
After ripping the tape off his mouth, they told him to call for help, telling his parents to pay the ransom as soon as possible.
Kidnappers demand ransom or victim would be killed
The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of 500,000 yuan (S$89,000), his parents said.
However, after sending his parents a second video a few hours later, they asked for 3 million yuan (S$535,000) more.
They even threatened to kill the victim and sell his organs if they failed to pay the ransom.
Source: China Press
Son’s last-known location was in Orchard
Upon hearing about the dangerous situation their son was in, the victim’s parents, who were in Dubai on business, immediately flew to Malaysia and sought help from the police.
The couple — named only as 43-year-old Mr Ye and 40-year-old Ms Cheng (transliterated from Mandarin) — were interviewed by China Press outside the police station.
Source: China Press
They said the family is from Foshan in Guangdong province, and the teenager’s last-known location was in the Orchard area.
His friends told them that he had been playing online games on 29 April, the day before going to JB.
The couple said they are busy with work and rarely have contact with their son, who they described as “independent and well-behaved”.
Ms Cheng added that the kidnappers seemed to know that they are rich. She initially tried to pay them 100,000 yuan (S$17,800) via Alipay, but the kidnappers declined, deriding her for treating them like beggars.
When she saw the video, she feared that the kidnappers would continue to harm her son, saying:
In the video, we clearly heard two different voices, so we believe that there are at least two kidnappers.
Kidnapped SIM student found at Kedah petrol station
Thankfully, the teenager was found at a petrol station in the state of Kedah, fully dressed, and brought to the Baling police station.
Despite having suffered abuse in the brutal video, he reportedly suffered only a thigh injury and was in “good condition”.
Officers from the Serious Crimes Unit in Kuala Lumpur went to Kedah to take his statement and bring him back to various locations as part of the investigations.
Suspect claimed he didn’t know it was a kidnapping
Meanwhile, the Malaysian police also arrested a suspect — a 23-year-old Chinese national — at Penang International Airport on 2 May, within 48 hours of the report.
When questioned by the police, the suspect claimed he was unaware that he was involved in a kidnapping case.
He claimed that he had received a call in March from someone claiming to be from the Chinese police, accusing him of being involved in credit card fraud.
That person reportedly told the suspect that the case would not be pursued if he helped them record an “anti-fraud” video.
The suspect proceeded to film two videos where a Chinese man was beaten at a hotel room in Kuala Lumpur and an oil palm plantation in Kedah, and sent the videos to the caller, who directed him entirely from his phone.
After he sent the videos to him, they were forwarded to the teenager’s parents, he said.
He also claimed that he did not know the purpose of the video and was not involved in extorting the ransom.
 SIM in contact with student’s family
In response to MS News’ queries, SIM confirmed that its staff members got in touch with the student’s family upon learning of his disappearance.
To ensure student safety, SIM says it briefs international students and their parents on safety before and after they arrive in Singapore.
The school also remind students regularly to be vigilant about potential scams. There are even posters on the campus to reinforce the message.
Also read: 15-year-old S’pore student allegedly kidnapped & found in M’sia, suspect arrestedÂ
15-year-old S’pore student allegedly kidnapped & found in M’sia, suspect arrestedÂ
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Featured image adapted from China Press.Â
