2 nabbed for kidnapping Sheng Siong boss’ mother

SINGAPORE — It was past 1pm on Wednesday and Sheng Siong supermarket chain Chief Executive Lim Hock Chee was poring over the company’s accounts when he received a call. His 79-year-old mother, Madam Ng Lai Poh, had been kidnapped, and the ransom demanded was S$20 million. Wondering if it was a hoax, he tried unsuccessfully to contact her. After consulting his older brother, they alerted the police.

Ten hours later, at about 1am yesterday, the police had cracked Singapore’s first kidnapping case in more than a decade with two men arrested, Mdm Ng released unharmed and the ransom money — negotiated to S$2 million — fully recovered.

The two Singaporean suspects — a 41-year-old supermarket odd-job worker and a 50-year-old credit card salesman — will be charged in court today and face the death penalty or life imprisonment and caning if convicted. The 50-year-old was arrested at his home in Hougang, while his alleged accomplice was nabbed in Ang Mo Kio.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean commended police officers for the swift arrest of the two suspects and said Mdm Ng’s family had done the right thing by lodging a police report immediately.

“With the safety of the victim as their top priority, our officers spared no effort to carefully and skilfully trace the suspects, secure the safety of the victim and bring the suspects to justice expeditiously,” said Mr Teo. “Kidnapping is a very rare and serious offence and the perpetrators will be dealt with to the full extent of the law.”

Investigations have so far not revealed whether the suspects were known to Mdm Ng, said Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director Hoong Wee Teck at a press conference yesterday afternoon at the Police Cantonment Complex.

It is also not yet known if the 41-year-old suspect worked at a Sheng Siong outlet, Mr Lim told reporters yesterday. Mr Lim, one of Singapore’s richest men, said his mother was not scolded or harmed by the suspects, although they had threatened to do so if their demands had not been met.

Mdm Ng was on her way home from the market and had just crossed the overhead bridge near Blk 631, Hougang Ave 8, when she was approached by a man who told her that Mr Lim had taken a serious fall. He claimed to have been sent to take Mdm Ng to her son, and she got into a car with him. She was subsequently blindfolded, transferred to another car and had her hands and feet bound. The police are still investigating where she was held. Two cars — a Honda Civic and a Volkswagen Scirocco, both white —had been recovered by investigators.

Mr Lim said he went to the police as they would have the experience to handle the case. “I was frightened, but the CID officers helped (me) to keep my cool and provided guidance on how to speak to the kidnappers,” he said.

He exchanged several calls with the kidnappers and said ransom negotiations were done with the police’s guidance. He was instructed to leave the money in Sembawang Park.

“I didn’t want to see (the kidnapper) and he didn’t want to see me. He told me to leave the money by a tree,” said Mr Lim, the son of a pig farmer who grew his supermarket business into a listed company.

He dropped off the money, bundles of S$1,000 notes placed into a beige sling bag, close to midnight and received word that his mother was at a bus stop near Seletar West Camp 20 minutes later. “I wasn’t familiar with the area so I kept looking. The police found her first,” said Mr Lim.

His mother was sitting in a police vehicle speaking with police officers when a “very happy” Mr Lim arrived.

The sprightly woman kept asking “Catch me for what?”, but her son ushered her into his car and drove her to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for a check-up.