- Yahoo Newsroom - A hefty $2 million ransom was seized from two men accused of kidnapping the mother of a man believed to be Sheng Siong CEO Lim Hock Chee. (Photo courtesy of the Singaopre Police Force)
[UPDATE at 6:08pm: Adding details from interview with Sheng Siong CEO Lim Hock Chee]
Two middle-aged men were arrested early Thursday for kidnapping the mother of the CEO of local supermarket chain Sheng Siong. Police also recovered S$2 million in ransom money.
The arrest and details of the case were announced to local media at a press conference on Thursday afternoon. There have been only three other known kidnapping cases with substantial ransom in Singapore in the past decade.
Tweets from local media present at the press conference detailed that the 79-year-old mother of Sheng Siong boss Lim Hock Chee, 52, was walking by the roadside near Block 631 Hougang Avenue 8 when she was seized by the two unidentified men.
The men, aged 41 and 50, initially demanded $20 million in ransom from Lim, who reported the case to the police. Lim, who is according to Forbes worth at least $655 million, then reportedly negotiated a reduced sum of $2 million.
The arrest and details of the case were announced to local media at a press conference on Thursday afternoon. There have been only three other known kidnapping cases with substantial ransom in Singapore in the past decade.
Tweets from local media present at the press conference detailed that the 79-year-old mother of Sheng Siong boss Lim Hock Chee, 52, was walking by the roadside near Block 631 Hougang Avenue 8 when she was seized by the two unidentified men.
The men, aged 41 and 50, initially demanded $20 million in ransom from Lim, who reported the case to the police. Lim, who is according to Forbes worth at least $655 million, then reportedly negotiated a reduced sum of $2 million.
Reports in local media say the younger of the two suspects, both of whom are Singaporean and not related, is an odd-job labourer, while the other man is a credit card promoter.
Lim left a bag of the $2 million in cash, pictured here, at Sembawang Park for the kidnappers. (Photo from Singapore …
Lim had left the cash in a bag for the kidnappers in Sembawang Park around midnight on Wednesday. It was recovered by police when they arrested the two men separately in Hougang and Ang Mo Kio just after midnight on Thursday.
His mother was subsequently released at a bus stop near Seletar West camp in the wee hours of Thursday morning, said police, who noted that she was released unhurt, even as they raced to solve the case given her age and medical condition.
Lim left a bag of the $2 million in cash, pictured here, at Sembawang Park for the kidnappers. (Photo from Singapore …Lim had left the cash in a bag for the kidnappers in Sembawang Park around midnight on Wednesday. It was recovered by police when they arrested the two men separately in Hougang and Ang Mo Kio just after midnight on Thursday.
His mother was subsequently released at a bus stop near Seletar West camp in the wee hours of Thursday morning, said police, who noted that she was released unhurt, even as they raced to solve the case given her age and medical condition.
Relieved
Speaking on the phone with Yahoo Singapore on Thursday, a very relieved Lim said he was extremely frightened and worried when his mother went missing.
"My mother is a very fit and healthy woman, and she's been walking back and forth from the market every day for more than 10 years now," he said in Mandarin. "She would go out in the morning, meet her friends and come back around lunchtime, and there were never any problems."
He said he, his wife and his four children live with his mother in her flat in Hougang Avenue 8, which she inherited from his deceased father. His siblings live nearby too.
"We're all extremely relieved and happy that she's home safe," he added, saying he now wants to leave the case and its investigation to the police.
In an earlier group press interview, he told reporters that she visited the hospital for a check-up, and is now safe at home. He reportedly also said that the kidnappers did not beat her or shout at her, but tricked her by telling her that Lim had fallen down and needed to see her.
Lim also said he will not allow his mother to go to the market by herself anymore.
Lim, who is also the founder of Sheng Siong, the third-largest chain of supermarkets here, is listed as Singapore’s 35th richest man, according to Forbes. He grew his business from a humble pork stall, which he wound up in 1985. The listed chain has seen the value of its shares more than double since its IPO on Singapore’s stock exchange in 2011, and now even runs television variety programmes on Channel 8 and Suria.
Of the three past substantial kidnapping cases that involved a ransom, police said all the perpetrators were jailed for life. Police have reportedly warned that the men are liable to either death or life imprisonment.
Lim, who is also the founder of Sheng Siong, the third-largest chain of supermarkets here, is listed as Singapore’s 35th richest man, according to Forbes. He grew his business from a humble pork stall, which he wound up in 1985. The listed chain has seen the value of its shares more than double since its IPO on Singapore’s stock exchange in 2011, and now even runs television variety programmes on Channel 8 and Suria.
Of the three past substantial kidnapping cases that involved a ransom, police said all the perpetrators were jailed for life. Police have reportedly warned that the men are liable to either death or life imprisonment.
A 79-year-old woman kidnapped on Wednesday is the mother of Sheng Siong supermarket chief executive Lim Hock Chee. She was said to have been kidnapped while she was walking near a bus-stop at Block 631 Hougang Avenue 8. Kidnappings are a rare occurence in Singapor
