A ROUTINE courier delivery from Johor Baru to Singapore turned into a harrowing 2 1/2-hour nightmare for a Singapore permanent resident (PR) early Friday morning.
Mr Shankar (not his real name) was abducted, robbed of his car and money, and beaten up by at least four men.
He was bundled into the boot of his car, then told he would be stuffed into a bag and thrown into the sea off Pasir Gudang.
The 50-year-old had clinched a contract earlier this month to deliver mail for a courier service between JB and Singapore.
Mr Shankar (we are not publishing his real name as he fears the incident could affect his courier business) was to send packages from the company's warehouse in Paya Lebar to another warehouse in Tampoi, JB, at night.
He would then collect another batch of mail for the return trip the next morning.
On Friday morning, Mr Shankar stopped his four-year-old Hyundai Sonata at a traffic junction near the Johor warehouse at about 6.15am when a motorcyclist stopped next to his car.
'He waved a pair of handcuffs at me and motioned me to stop by the side of the road,' recalled Mr Shankar, who has been in the courier business for more than 20 years.
'He was wearing a cap with the letters 'Pol' underneath his helmet, so I thought he was a policeman.'
Not suspecting anything, Mr Shankar stepped out of his car.
'Immediately, a Proton Wira drove up to us. Two men got out of the car,' said the Kuala Lumpur native, who has been a Singapore PR for the last 15 years.
Mr Shankar claimed that the two men forcibly handcuffed him before bundling him into their car.
'They said 'I suspect you, follow us back to the police station' in Bahasa Melayu. But when I asked them what they suspected me of, they just said 'You speak to my tuan (sir in Bahasa Melayu)',' he said.
Mr Shankar was sandwiched between the two men in the back seat as a third man drove for about 20 minutes towards Pasir Gudang.
The car then made a right turn. That made him suspicious.
'I saw a road sign that directed drivers to turn left to the police station, but the driver turned right onto a dirt track instead,' he said.
'I asked them why they are turning right and one of them said 'We are going behind the police station to settle this'. I thought they were taking a different route to the station and did not question them further.'
About 10 minutes after the right turn, the men stopped the car at an isolated area.
They took Mr Shankar's ring, his watch, about $300 and RM3,000 ($1,200), which was meant as a Hari Raya advance for his Malaysian staff.
'I asked them why they are taking my wallet, my ring and my watch, and one of them said 'We are just going to keep it first',' he said.
A fourth man then arrived in Mr Shankar's car.
Covered his head
One of the men put a sack over Mr Shankar's head and shoved him into his own car.
The men continued to drive for another 10 minutes or so before they made a second stop. Mr Shankar is not clear how many men were in the car at the time, or if the Proton followed them.
'When they took the sack off my head, I saw that we were near the sea. I could see the wharves in the distance.'
The men emptied four bags of courier mail from MrShankar's boot and shoved him into the compartment.
'It was very dark and I couldn't breathe, so I shouted at them to let me out. After about 10 minutes one of them opened the boot, hit me on on the nose with a pipe and told me to shut up.'
The men continued talking for several minutes before opening the boot and demanded the PIN of his Malaysian credit card, which they found among his belongings.
'One of them opened the boot and said 'Tell me the PIN or we will put you into a sack and throw you into the sea',' Mr Shankar said, cringing at the recollection.
'I kept telling them that I forgot my PIN. That was when another person found my bank book and told them 'No point hitting him, he only has RM28 in his account'.
'That probably saved my life, as they closed the boot and continued driving.'
When they stopped, his abductors took off his handcuffs and tied his hands with three cable ties they found in his car. They pushed him into a building with the sack still over his head, and left.
The 50-year-old managed to wriggle out of his bounds, trekked through the jungle to the main road where he hollered for help.
Mr Shankar only reached Singapore at around 7.30pm last night with his wife, brother and brother-in-law, after making a police report and getting temporary travel papers.
He had his injuries treated at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
Recounting the incident, his wife Madam Vani (not her real name) told The New Paper at SGH on Friday night: 'The first thing he said (over the phone) was 'I have been robbed, I have been beaten up'.
'I was really traumatised as I did not know the extent of his injuries. I have read reports of people being robbed and beaten up in Malaysia.'
Mr Shankar suffered a broken nose bridge, bruises on his right arm, right thigh and the back of his head. He was warded for observation and was discharged at about 7am yesterday.
When The New Paper visited their home at Potong Pasir yesterday afternoon, it was clear that Madam Vani was still shaken from the incident.
'When I had time to let everything sink in, I felt really bad about the whole incident. It was such a close shave,' said the 48-year-old civil servant, wringing her hands nervously.
'You always read about such incidents in the papers and you never think it could happen to you.
'I have to thank God for bringing him back alive, especially after what the men said about throwing him into the sea.'
After his ordeal, Mr Shankar is hesitant to continue with the night courier service.
He said: 'I have to honour the contract for this month and I haven't decided if I should ask my workers to take over the duties, as I don't have a car or passport now.
'I may also pass on the contract to other companies from next month. I don't know yet.'
Mr Shankar (not his real name) was abducted, robbed of his car and money, and beaten up by at least four men.
He was bundled into the boot of his car, then told he would be stuffed into a bag and thrown into the sea off Pasir Gudang.
The 50-year-old had clinched a contract earlier this month to deliver mail for a courier service between JB and Singapore.
Mr Shankar (we are not publishing his real name as he fears the incident could affect his courier business) was to send packages from the company's warehouse in Paya Lebar to another warehouse in Tampoi, JB, at night.
He would then collect another batch of mail for the return trip the next morning.
On Friday morning, Mr Shankar stopped his four-year-old Hyundai Sonata at a traffic junction near the Johor warehouse at about 6.15am when a motorcyclist stopped next to his car.
'He waved a pair of handcuffs at me and motioned me to stop by the side of the road,' recalled Mr Shankar, who has been in the courier business for more than 20 years.
'He was wearing a cap with the letters 'Pol' underneath his helmet, so I thought he was a policeman.'
Not suspecting anything, Mr Shankar stepped out of his car.
'Immediately, a Proton Wira drove up to us. Two men got out of the car,' said the Kuala Lumpur native, who has been a Singapore PR for the last 15 years.
Mr Shankar claimed that the two men forcibly handcuffed him before bundling him into their car.
'They said 'I suspect you, follow us back to the police station' in Bahasa Melayu. But when I asked them what they suspected me of, they just said 'You speak to my tuan (sir in Bahasa Melayu)',' he said.
Mr Shankar was sandwiched between the two men in the back seat as a third man drove for about 20 minutes towards Pasir Gudang.
The car then made a right turn. That made him suspicious.
'I saw a road sign that directed drivers to turn left to the police station, but the driver turned right onto a dirt track instead,' he said.
'I asked them why they are turning right and one of them said 'We are going behind the police station to settle this'. I thought they were taking a different route to the station and did not question them further.'
About 10 minutes after the right turn, the men stopped the car at an isolated area.
They took Mr Shankar's ring, his watch, about $300 and RM3,000 ($1,200), which was meant as a Hari Raya advance for his Malaysian staff.
'I asked them why they are taking my wallet, my ring and my watch, and one of them said 'We are just going to keep it first',' he said.
A fourth man then arrived in Mr Shankar's car.
Covered his head
One of the men put a sack over Mr Shankar's head and shoved him into his own car.
The men continued to drive for another 10 minutes or so before they made a second stop. Mr Shankar is not clear how many men were in the car at the time, or if the Proton followed them.
'When they took the sack off my head, I saw that we were near the sea. I could see the wharves in the distance.'
The men emptied four bags of courier mail from MrShankar's boot and shoved him into the compartment.
'It was very dark and I couldn't breathe, so I shouted at them to let me out. After about 10 minutes one of them opened the boot, hit me on on the nose with a pipe and told me to shut up.'
The men continued talking for several minutes before opening the boot and demanded the PIN of his Malaysian credit card, which they found among his belongings.
'One of them opened the boot and said 'Tell me the PIN or we will put you into a sack and throw you into the sea',' Mr Shankar said, cringing at the recollection.
'I kept telling them that I forgot my PIN. That was when another person found my bank book and told them 'No point hitting him, he only has RM28 in his account'.
'That probably saved my life, as they closed the boot and continued driving.'
When they stopped, his abductors took off his handcuffs and tied his hands with three cable ties they found in his car. They pushed him into a building with the sack still over his head, and left.
The 50-year-old managed to wriggle out of his bounds, trekked through the jungle to the main road where he hollered for help.
Mr Shankar only reached Singapore at around 7.30pm last night with his wife, brother and brother-in-law, after making a police report and getting temporary travel papers.
He had his injuries treated at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
Recounting the incident, his wife Madam Vani (not her real name) told The New Paper at SGH on Friday night: 'The first thing he said (over the phone) was 'I have been robbed, I have been beaten up'.
'I was really traumatised as I did not know the extent of his injuries. I have read reports of people being robbed and beaten up in Malaysia.'
Mr Shankar suffered a broken nose bridge, bruises on his right arm, right thigh and the back of his head. He was warded for observation and was discharged at about 7am yesterday.
When The New Paper visited their home at Potong Pasir yesterday afternoon, it was clear that Madam Vani was still shaken from the incident.
'When I had time to let everything sink in, I felt really bad about the whole incident. It was such a close shave,' said the 48-year-old civil servant, wringing her hands nervously.
'You always read about such incidents in the papers and you never think it could happen to you.
'I have to thank God for bringing him back alive, especially after what the men said about throwing him into the sea.'
After his ordeal, Mr Shankar is hesitant to continue with the night courier service.
He said: 'I have to honour the contract for this month and I haven't decided if I should ask my workers to take over the duties, as I don't have a car or passport now.
'I may also pass on the contract to other companies from next month. I don't know yet.'
