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Madam Ng Lai Poh, the 79-year-old mother of Sheng Siong supermarkets CEO Lim Hock Chee. -- PHOTO: INTERNET
Mr Lim Hock Chee, chief executive of Sheng Siong Group, briefing the press. The 79-year-old victim in the kidnapping case is understood to be the mother of Mr Lim. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
SINGAPORE: Police have arrested two Singaporean men, aged 41 and 50, who are believed to be involved in a kidnapping case.
On Wednesday, January 8, at about 2.13pm, a police report was lodged by Lim Hock Chee, CEO of the Sheng Siong supermarket chain, over a phone call he had received from an unknown person.
The caller had demanded a ransom of S$20 million for the return of his 79-year-old mother, Madam Ng Lai Poh.
She was unhurt and released after a S$2 million ransom was paid.
Madam Ng was kidnapped while she was walking alone along Block 631, Hougang Avenue 8 on Wednesday.
She had gone to the market that morning and had breakfast -- a routine she has been doing for the past 10 years.
Madam Ng was told by one of the suspects that her son Mr Lim has had a bad fall, and requested that she follow him into his car on the pretext of bringing her to Mr Lim.
She was then transferred to another car driven by the second suspect. This was when she was blindfolded and her hands tied.
Details of the kidnapping were announced at a police conference on Thursday.
Police said the kidnappers had asked for a ransom of S$20 million, but this was later renegotiated to S$2 million.
Even though Mr Lim was told by the kidnappers not to alert the police, he did so believing that was the best action to take.
"I think it's very important, (as) we can't do anything (and) we don't have any weapons. We also don't have the experience in this kind of case. We trust our police, (so) we met (and) we made a police report," said Mr Lim.
On Wednesday evening -- acting on the instructions of the kidnappers -- Mr Lim placed a bag containing S$2 million cash in Sembawang Park, and then left the area.
The ransom amount was the highest ever recorded in a kidnapping case in Singapore.
Madam Ng was released in the area of Seletar West Camp in the early hours of Thursday.
Having ensured the safety of the victim, police continued with their operations and arrested the two suspects in separate locations, less than 12 hours after the kidnapping was reported.
The 41-year-old was arrested at Ang Mo Kio, while the 50-year-old was caught at his home in Hougang.
The ransom was also recovered.
"We are grateful families of victims remained calm, alerted police and cooperated," said Deputy Commissioner (Investigations & Intelligence) Hoong Wee Teck at the police news conference.
The police have classified the case as kidnapping.
"Kidnapping is a very serious offence which is punishable on conviction with death or life imprisonment. The police will spare no efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice,” said Adrian Quek, assistant director of the Crime Division at the Criminal Investigation Department.
“Time is of the essence in such cases. In this instance, the early reporting by the informant and his full cooperation had resulted in the swift and successful solving of this case."
The two suspects will be charged in court on Friday.
In the past 13 years, there had been three cases of kidnapping for ransom.
All cases were solved by the police and the kidnappers jailed for life.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean commended the police for their swift arrest of the two suspects.
Mr Teo, who is also the coordinating minister for national security and the home affairs minister, also commended the family of the victim for their response.
He said: "The family of the victim had done the right thing by lodging a police report immediately. The family also gave the police their full cooperation." - CNA/nd/sf/ec
Singapore arrested two men for kidnapping the mother of a local tycoon.
Two Singaporean men were arrested yesterday on suspicion of kidnapping the mother of a local supermarket tycoon and receiving a cash ransom of S$2 million (HK$12.4 million).
The two men, aged 41 and 50, were arrested shortly after they picked up the ransom money from a suburban park and released the 79-year-old victim, police said.
They did not identify her but the Straits Times newspaper reported that she was the mother of Lim Hock Chee, founder and chief executive of the Sheng Siong supermarket chain which is listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange. In a video posted on the newspaper's website, Lim said his mother was lured outside her home into a car by the kidnappers after they told her one of them had been seriously injured in a fall. She was held for about 12 hours.
The supermarket chain has more than 30 outlets across Singapore and Lim was listed in Forbes' Singapore's 50 Richest List in 2013 as having a net worth of S$515 million (HK$3.1 billion). Police said the original ransom demand was for S$20 million (HK$122 million).
"Kidnapping for ransom is very rare in Singapore but is a very severe offence punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty," police deputy commissioner Hoong Wee Teck said.
Updated: 01/10/2014 11:16 | By Channel NewsAsia
Two S'poreans charged with kidnap of supermarket boss’s mother
SINGAPORE: Two Singaporeans were charged in a district court under the Kidnapping Act on Friday with abducting and holding a 79-year-old woman for ransom.
Media reports say the pair have been living together for more than 10 years.
The victim is the mother of Sheng Siong supermarket's chief executive, Mr Lim Hock Chee.
The two men arrived at the Subordinate Courts in a police van shortly after 9am, and appeared in the courtroom an hour later.
Lee Sze Yong, 41, is accused of abducting Madam Ng Lye Poh, 79, along Hougang Avenue 2 on January 8 between 10.30am and 1pm with the intent of holding her for ransom.
His accomplice, 50-year-old Heng Chen Boon, is accused of abetting Lee by confining Madam Ng in a vehicle between 8.30pm and midnight on the same day.
When they appeared in court on Friday, Lee was clad in a black T-shirt, while Heng was dressed in a maroon one.
Both men were expressionless as they stood in the holding area for accused persons.
If convicted, both face the death penalty or jail for life.
The two men have been remanded at the Police Cantonment Complex for further investigations.
Madam Ng was kidnapped on Wednesday while walking alone along Hougang Avenue 2.
She was approached by one of the suspects who allegedly told her that her son, Mr Lim, had suffered a bad fall; and that she was to follow him into his car, and he would bring her to Mr Lim.
She was then transferred to another car, allegedly driven by the second suspect, where she was blindfolded and had her hands tied.
Madam Ng was released unhurt after Mr Lim paid a S$2 million ransom.
The money was later recovered.
The cases against both men will be heard on January 17. - CNA/nd/ec
Technology helped police track down kidnap suspects, says former investigator
SINGAPORE: A former investigator with experience in kidnapping cases said the police deserve to be applauded for nabbing the suspected kidnappers of Sheng Siong chief executive Lim Hock Chee's mother within just 12 hours.
Mr Lionel de Souza personally worked on three such cases in the 60s and 70s.
He said the two suspects were disorganised, and failed to look into minute details.
Mr De Souza also believed the police had been able to leverage extensively on technology, such as phone-tracking equipment, in the build-up to the arrests.
He said: "It was a service to the police and a disservice to the kidnappers. Today's situation… compared to my time, we were nowhere.
"What we needed were good informants, good intelligence, that's all. But today with all these high-tech equipment, maybe it was the plus for them (police)."
The alleged kidnappers were also likely to have used a low-cost mobile phone to communicate with Mr Lim, according to National Technological University’s Associate Professor Peter Chong.
He believed this allowed the police to quickly track down the kidnappers.
Mr Lim had reportedly received up to 40 phone calls from the suspects to negotiate and arrange the ransom during the ordeal.
Assoc Prof Chong, who has researched phone tracking methods, believed the suspects would have used a phone that was not GPS-enabled to avoid police attention.
But he said the high number of phone calls made would have helped the police in determining their locations.
Assoc Prof Chong explained: "If you make a phone call, then somehow, some of your signals will arrive at nearby base stations, maybe one or two. So based on these two, the police can roughly identify the area.
"The more often you get a call, (the) more information (you get). So after that, you can collect all this information and average this information; it will be more accurate, for sure." - CNA/gn
SINGAPORE: The two Singaporeans charged with abducting and holding the mother of Sheng Siong supermarket's boss for ransom will be remanded another week for investigations.
They appeared in court on Friday morning.
The police prosecutor asked for both men to be further remanded at the Police Cantonment Complex with permission to be taken out for investigations.
Lee Sze Yong, 41, is accused of abducting Madam Ng Lye Poh, 79, along Hougang Avenue 2 on January 8 between 10.30am and 1pm with the intent of holding her for ransom.
His accomplice, 50-year-old Heng Chen Boon, is accused of abetting Lee by confining Madam Ng in a vehicle between 8.30pm and midnight on the same day.
They will be back in court on January 24.
The kidnap victim is the mother of Sheng Siong supermarket's chief executive, Mr Lim Hock Chee.
Madam Ng was kidnapped on January 8 while walking alone along Hougang Avenue 2.
She was approached by one of the suspects who allegedly told her that her son, Mr Lim, had suffered a bad fall; and that she was to follow him into his car, and he would bring her to Mr Lim.
She was then transferred to another car, allegedly driven by the second suspect, where she was blindfolded and had her hands tied.
Madam Ng was released unhurt after Mr Lim paid a S$2 million ransom.
The money was later recovered.
If convicted, both face the death penalty or jail for life with caning. - CNA/nd
Updated: 01/24/2014 12:07 | By Channel NewsAsia
Kidnap suspects remanded for psychiatric evaluation
SINGAPORE: The two Singaporeans charged with abducting and holding the mother of Sheng Siong supermarket's boss for ransom will be remanded at the Changi Prison medical centre for psychiatric evaluation.
They made their third appearance in court on Friday morning.
Lee Sze Yong, 41, is accused of abducting Madam Ng Lye Poh, 79, on January 8 between 10.30am and 1pm along Hougang Avenue 2 with the intent of holding her for ransom.
Heng Chen Boon, 50, is accused of abetting Lee by confining Madam Ng in a vehicle between 8.30pm and midnight on the same day.
Their case will be mentioned in court next month.
On January 8, Madam Ng was walking alone along Hougang Avenue 2 when she was approached by one of the suspects who allegedly told her that her son, Mr Lim Hock Chee, had suffered a bad fall.
She was then told to follow the suspect into his car and that he would bring her to Mr Lim.
She was then transferred to another car, allegedly driven by the second suspect, where she was blindfolded and had her hands tied.
Madam Ng was released unhurt after Mr Lim paid a S$2 million ransom.
The money was later recovered.
If convicted, both of the accused face the death penalty or jail for life with caning. - CNA/nd
Man accused of kidnapping supermarket boss' mother deemed fit to make plea
SINGAPORE: One of the two men accused of kidnapping the mother of Sheng Siong supermarkets' boss has been deemed fit to make a plea.
The court heard that Lee Sze Yong is of sound mind after a psychiatric evaluation by the Institute of Mental Health.
The 41-year-old is accused of abducting 79-year-old Madam Ng Lye Poh along Hougang Ave 2 on January 8 between 10.30am and 1.02pm.
Lee allegedly did so together with 50-year-old Heng Chen Boon.
On January 8, Mr Lim Hock Chee, who is the CEO of Sheng Siong supermarket chain, made a police report about a phone call he had received from an unknown person.
The caller had demanded a ransom of S$20 million for the return of his mother, Madam Ng.
She was unhurt and released after a S$2 million ransom was paid.
Lee's case will be mentioned again on April 1.
The highest penalty for kidnapping is death, or life imprisonment and caning. - CNA/nd
Heng Chen Boon in the police van on Jan 17, 2014. Heng, who was originally charged under the Kidnapping Act, was on Thursday accused of abetting Lee Sze Yong in abducting Madam Ng Lye Poh. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
By Elena Chong
SINGAPORE - One of the two men allegedly involved in kidnapping the mother of Sheng Siong supermarket boss Lim Hock Chee is now facing a reduced charge.
Heng Chen Boon, 51, who was originally charged under the Kidnapping Act, was on Thursday accused of abetting Lee Sze Yong in abducting Madam Ng Lye Poh.
He allegedly drove a car - in which the 79-year-old was being secretly and wrongfully confined by Lee - to the vicinity of Sembawang Park. There, Heng kept watch over her between 8.30pm and 11.30pm on Jan 8 last year.
If convicted, the credit card promoter could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
Lee, 42, still faces the kidnapping charge.
If convicted, he faces life imprisonment and caning or death. The next pre-trial conference is scheduled for April 28 in the High Court.
Heng, who is represented by Mr Philip Fong, is likely to plead guilty. A date for his case to be mentioned will be fixed next Wednesday in the State Courts.
Lee allegedly abducted Madam Ng along Hougang Avenue 2 that day, with the intent to hold her for ransom.
She was freed unhurt after her son dropped off a $2 million ransom at the park.
The duo were nabbed at about 1am the next day. The full ransom sum has been recovered.
3 years' jail for man involved in Sheng Siong kidnapping case
Published on May 11, 2015 5:28 PM
Heng Chen Boon (centre), a credit card promoter, in the police van on Jan 17, 2014. Heng has been charged for the kidnapping of Madam Ng Lye Poh, the mother of Sheng Siong supermarket boss Lim Hock Chee. -- PHOTO: SHIN MIN
By Amir Hussain
SINGAPORE - A man who was involved in the Sheng Siong kidnapping case - the first kidnap-for-ransom case in over a decade - was sentenced to three years' jail on Monday, after he was convicted on an amended charge.
Heng Chen Boon, 51, pleaded guilty to intentionally aiding Lee Sze Yong to abduct and wrongfully confine Madam Ng Lye Poh - the mother of the supermarket chain's boss, Mr Lim Hock Chee.
Heng, who was unaware of Lee's alleged plans to kidnap Madam Ng, drove the then 79-year-old woman to a spot near Sembawang Park and kept watch over her on Jan 8 last year.
Lee, 42, still faces the kidnapping charge. If convicted, he faces the gallows, or life in prison with caning. His case is before the High Court.
According to court documents, Heng, who was a contract staff for Diner's Club employed to check on credit card machines at retail outlets, lived together with Lee as good friends.
The court on Monday heard details of how the kidnap was allegedly elaborately planned and executed by Lee.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kavita Uthrapathy said police investigations revealed that Lee - who was working as a retail sales executive with Universal Sovereign Trading and earning about $4,850 a month - had incurred debts of between $150,000 to $200,000 by borrowing money from banks, friends, and both legal and illegal moneylenders.
Sometime in 2011, according to the prosecution, he began to hatch a plan to abduct someone for ransom.
Lee allegedly looked through the Forbes' list of Singapore's richest people, and did research on potential targets online. He also obtained profiles of local companies and directors' addresses from the Bizfile website.
He purportedly conducted surveillance on those he had identified as potential targets, by driving up to their residence and keeping a watch on them and their family members.
After reading up online on how to carry out an abduction, Lee began, sometime in 2011, to allegedly buy items to facilitate his plans. These items included a taser from Bangkok, a Halloween face mask and pepper spray from Kuala Lumpur, false car registration plates from Johor Bahru, and cable ties from Sim Lim Towers.
He also purportedly bought a skin-coloured face mask and chlorofoam online, and a female Malay outfit with headgear in 2013.
According to the prosecution, Lee observed Mr Lim's residence for about six months and had recorded the specific details of how he would kidnap Madam Ng.
On Jan 8, the day of the abduction, Lee allegedly parked a rented car along Hougang Avenue 2, and approached Madam Ng at the foot of an overhead bridge at about 11.30am. He asked her whether Mr Lim was her son and then told her that he had a fall in the office.
Believing Lee was telling the truth, she followed him and got onto the car.
Lee purportedly drove to Seletar Camp, where he stopped and moved into the backseat behind Madam Ng so that he could put a face mask and blindfold on her. Realising she was being abducted, she pleaded with him to let her go.
At about 2.13pm, Lee allegedly made a call to Mr Lim using a Malaysian SIM card and directed Mr Lim to hand over ransom money amounting to $20 million.
Later, Lee purportedly sent an SMS message in Mandarin from the same Malaysian mobile number: "We seek fortune of 20 million (in denominations of 100 and 1,000 bills and not to be serialised)... If you dare to report to the Police or if someone follows us, we can forget about it.
"You will never see your mother again (die together). I have nothing to lose. ... We will contact again for the money tonight."
Later that day, according to the prosecution, when Lee realised the rental timing for the car had expired, he called Heng and asked him to drive Lee's car, a Volkswagen Scirocco, over to Punggol End carpark, where Lee waited.
DPP Kavita said Heng was shocked when he saw Madam Ng with a blindfold over her eyes, but Lee told him not to ask any questions.
Lee purportedly drove his car to various places around Lim Chu Kang cemetery, Kranji and Jurong West, waiting for nightfall, with Madam Ng blindfolded and reclined in the front passenger seat. At some point, the elderly woman, who is diabetic, told Lee she had to take her insulin injection, but he ignored her and carried on driving around, said DPP Kavita.
When Lee called her son at about 7.30pm, Mr Lim, acting under the instructions of the police, negotiated the ransom amount down to $2million.
Lee then asked Heng to meet him at Sembawang Park but, sensing something amiss, Heng confronted him over the abduction. When Lee confessed about the kidnap for a ransom, Heng told him that what he had done was a serious offence and asked Lee to let Madam Ng go, said DPP Kavita.
But Lee told Heng that they were facing financial difficulties and it was too late to back out. Heng suggested selling their flat instead, but Lee decided to go ahead with the plan, said DPP Kavita.
Lee asked Heng to help him keep watch over Madam Ng while he collected the ransom money nearby, and told him that he could leave if he did not want to help. Heng agreed to help, and drove the car with Madam Ng to another road in the vicinity of Sembawang Park.
Mr Lim dropped the ransom money at a specific tree located behind the shelter at the end of Sembawang Park at about 11pm as told to do so by Lee, who watched him from a distance.
Lee later threw the bag of money into some thick vegetation near Cyprus Road before meeting up with Heng.
Lee subsequently dropped off Madam Ng at the bus stop at the entrance of Seletar Camp before calling Mr Lim to pick her up.
A team of police officers from the Criminal Investigation Department arrived at the bus stop at around 12.23 am on Jan 9 to pick her up. Lee and Heng, whose identities had been established by the police earlier, were arrested shortly after.
At about 1.18 am, Lee led police to the ransom money.
For his role in the abduction, Heng could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined; he did not face caning as he is over 50.
There have only been three other cases of kidnapping for ransom reported in Singapore over the last 14 years, all of which were solved by the police.
Sheng Siong kidnapping: 44-year-old suspect goes on trial in High Court
Lee Sze Yong (in red), who masterminded the Sheng Siong kidnapping case, seen here with police investigators at Sembawang Park in 2014.PHOTO: ST FILE
Published 51 min ago
Selina Lum
SINGAPORE - Sales executive Lee Sze Yong, 44, who allegedly hatched the plan to kidnap the mother of Sheng Siong supermarket boss Lim Hock Chee in 2014, went on trial on Tuesday (Aug 30) in the High Court.
His accomplice, Heng Chen Boon, 51, is serving a three-year jail term after pleading guilty last year to a reduced charge of helping Lee abduct Madam Ng Lye Poh.
Lee still faces the kidnapping charge. If convicted, he faces the death penalty or life imprisonment with caning.
Madam Ng Lye Poh was kidnapped on Jan 8, 2014, and freed unhurt the next day. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
He allegedly abducted Madam Ng along Hougang Avenue 2 on Jan 8, 2014, with the intent to hold her for a ransom of $20 million.
The court heard on Tuesday that Lee lied to Madam Ng that Mr Lim had had a fall in the office. She got into Lee's car and was blindfolded.
The then 79-year-old was freed unhurt after her son dropped off a $2 million ransom at Sembawang Park.
The duo were nabbed at about 1am the following day. The full ransom sum has been recovered.
It was Singapore's first kidnap-for-ransom case in over a decade.
Investigators taking Lee (in red) back to Sembawang Park in 2014, where he led them to the bag which contained the ransom money. He had thrown it into the bushes.ST FILE PHOTO
Published 4 hours ago
He did thorough research on supermarket boss' family before kidnapping mum, they say
Selina Lum
Sales executive Lee Sze Yong had hatched plans to kidnap wealthy people in Singapore before he decided to abduct the elderly mother of Sheng Siong supermarket boss Lim Hock Chee, the High Court heard yesterday.
He got Mr Lim's personal mobile phone number from a noticeboard at a Sheng Siong store after Mr Lim, whose business has assets totalling $500 million, posted his number for customers to give feedback.
Prosecutors said Lee carried out extensive research on Mr Lim's family, obtained pepper spray and chloroform, prepared face masks and costumes, and bought a Malaysian SIM card which he used to call Mr Lim.
Though he had a car, Lee, 44, drove a rented Honda Civic when he allegedly carried out his plan to abduct Madam Ng Lye Poh in Hougang Avenue 2 on Jan 8, 2014, with intent to hold her for ransom.
On the first day of Lee's trial, the prosecution said there was "overwhelming evidence" to show that he had planned and carried out the kidnapping. If convicted under the Kidnapping Act, Lee faces the death penalty or life imprisonment and caning. Deputy Public Prosecutor David Khoo told the court Lee tricked Madam Ng, 79, into getting into his car after telling her that her son had a fall in the office. She was later blindfolded and driven around for 12 hours.
Lee called Mr Lim and sought ransom of $20 million but the sum was negotiated down to $2 million.
Madam Ng was released after Mr Lim dropped off a bag with the cash at a tree in Sembawang Park. Lee was arrested in Ang Mo Kio shortly after and led the police to the bag he had thrown into bushes.
He does not deny abducting Madam Ng. After his arrest, he gave the police a detailed account of events.
His assigned lawyer, Mr Selva K. Naidu, told the court yesterday that he was not challenging the admissibility of his police statements.
In his statements, Lee said he had debts of close to $200,000. He maintained that he had no intention to harm anyone and would have released Madam Ng that same night, with or without the ransom.
"I really regretted doing this and I felt very bad getting Daniel involved despite his plea asking me not to do illegal things," he said. Daniel refers to Mr Heng Chen Boon, 52, his friend and one-time sexual partner, who helped Lee swop cars, guard the victim and act as a lookout.
Mr Heng, jailed for three years last year after admitting to a reduced charge of helping Lee abduct Madam Ng, testified yesterday as a prosecution witness. He was released from jail in January.
Mr Lim also took the stand. He said that when he got a call at about 12.45pm, asking for $20 million in exchange for his mother's release, he thought it was a phone scam.
But he could not locate his mother or reach her. "I was worried for my mother's life. I was scared," he said in Mandarin. Ten minutes later, he received a text in Chinese asking for the cash to be in $100 and $1,000 notes. Mr Lim said the family decided to go to the police even though the caller warned them against it.
The family raised $8 million in cash but Mr Lim told the court that on police advice, he negotiated the ransom. He said the caller complained $2 million was insufficient but accepted it.
It is not clear at this point what Lee's defence is. Madam Ng is set to testify tomorrow.
Sheng Siong kidnap suspect had 'spending plan' for ransom money
Lee Sze Yong, one of the accused involved in the Sheng Siong kidnapping case, was brought back to Sembawang Park for police investigations.
Photo: The Straits Times
Selina Lum
Thursday, Sep 1, 2016
Lee Sze Yong was fixated on getting rich by kidnapping someone wealthy and demanding huge ransom sums.
After he was arrested for kidnapping the 79-year-old mother of Sheng Siong supermarket boss Lim Hock Chee, police found, among a stack of documents, two pieces of paper on which Lee tabled a "spending plan" for the ransom money.
He told police: "I had a dream of becoming rich. I thought if I managed to get $10 million or $20 million ransom, I could buy a $5 million or $8 million property as well as buying expensive cars. These are just my illusion (sic)."
In the two tables - one based on a hypothetical $10 million ransom and the other on a $20 million ransom - he worked out how he would use the money to clear his debts, and buy a house and cars for himself and his former sexual partner and "soulmate" Heng Chen Boon.
Based on a $10 million ransom, he would spend at most $5 million on a house and buy himself a $300,000 Mercedes cabriolet, while Heng would get a $200,000 BMW X1. Another $100,000 would be set aside for shopping.
If the ransom was $20 million, he would buy an $8 million house and spend $880,000 on a Ferrari California for himself. The shopping budget would be doubled.
The rest would be invested, put into fixed deposits and savings, and used to start a business.
But Lee not only thought of the best-case scenario, he also envisioned the possibility of his kidnap plan failing.
He drafted a message in Chinese to Heng, to be sent if he was arrested, telling him to sell their four-room HDB flat and downgrade to a three-room flat.
Lee also prepared an authorisation letter to transfer his share of the flat to him.
Lee and Heng were penpals who had a decade-long sexual relationship. Lee and his mother later moved into Heng's flat and Lee said he serviced the $623 monthly loan repayment.
Lee told police that when his father was placed in a nursing home, he could not make ends meet with his $2,000 salary. He used credit cards for food and drinks and overseas trips, and owed close to $200,000 to various banks.
Lee also used the name of a friend to borrow money and to buy a $110,000 Volkswagen Scirocco that was registered in the friend's name but used by him.
Elderly victim was led to car and later blindfolded
Sheng Siong supermarket boss Lim Hock Chee with his 81-year-old mother, Madam Ng Lye Poh, who testified yesterday, leaving the court with their domestic worker. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
Published 2 hours ago
Supermarket boss' mum denies kidnapper told her he would take her home that night
Selina Lum
When the mother of Sheng Siong supermarket boss Lim Hock Chee was told he had a bad fall in the office, she followed the stranger who broke the news to his car, expecting to be driven to see him.
Instead 79-year-old Madam Ng Lye Poh was taken a short distance before the man stopped the car, blindfolded her and lowered her seat to hide her from view.
"I told him I'm old and I have no money," Madam Ng told the High Court yesterday, as she testified about her 12-hour ordeal at the hands of 44-year-old sales executive Lee Sze Yong. "I asked him: Why kidnap me?"
Now 81, Madam Ng arrived in court in a wheelchair with Mr Lim and an Indonesian maid and was calm during her half hour in the witness box.
Lee is accused of hatching the plan to kidnap her on Jan 8, 2014, and faces the death sentence or life imprisonment with caning if convicted under the Kidnapping Act.
Sheng Siong supermarket boss Lim Hock Chee with his 81-year-old mother, Madam Ng Lye Poh, who testified yesterday, leaving the court with their domestic worker. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
Yesterday, the court heard that Madam Ng's breakfast of tea and bee hoon, which she had at a coffee shop near her home before she was tricked into the car, was the only food she ate that day.
Although her kidnapper offered her a can of soft drink, Madam Ng said she refused it as she was diabetic. She also declined an offer of biscuits.
As she was driven around blindfolded, she was allowed to alight and relieve herself near the car a few times.
She also knew that she was being transferred to another car and was made to sit in the backseat. Later, another man came into the picture.
At one point, while being taken "round and round", she wanted to peep through her blindfold but someone lightly hit her hands.
She told the court in Hokkien that she could tell the person who hit her hands was "fat" as he was sitting beside her in the backseat.
The thinner man, the one she first met, told her that if she touched the blindfold, she would be tied up.
When questioned by Justice Chan Seng Onn, Madam Ng said that she was not able to recognise either man. Madam Ng denied that her kidnapper assured her that he would take her home that same night, contradicting Lee's testimony.
Defence counsel Selva K. Naidu told her that the soft drink can was analysed and her DNA was found at the opening. But Madam Ng insisted that she did not drink anything throughout the episode.
After she finished testifying, Madam Ng was helped back into her wheelchair by her maid and three Criminal Investigation Department officers. "I have to see a doctor," she told the court.
The case has been adjourned for four weeks for closing submissions.
