SINGAPORE: A Singaporean businessman lost two teeth and suffered injuries to his face and arms while attempting to take his 7-year-old son back from kidnappers at Johor Bahru on Dec 12.
A CCTV clip shows the two children outside, playing when a car drives up to the curb near the children. A man in a dark-coloured shirt suddenly rushes out of the vehicle and carries the boy toward it.
The boy’s father, identified as Mr Lin in a Mothership report, had gone to Johor Bahru with his wife, daughter, and son to look for workshops. At the time of the kidnapping incident, they were at No 5 Jalan Serampang Taman Pelangi.
Mr Lin’s daughter, 11, cautiously approaches the vehicle, which speeds away a few seconds later. At least one other person was seen in the car, sitting in the back seat.
The girl then alerts her parents, which sends Mr Lin, 40, running outside. He told Mothership that he could still see the car and jumped into his vehicle to chase after it.
Upon reaching it, he blocked the vehicle, but the other driver drove into the back of Mr Lin’s. The father ran out of his vehicle and attempted to rescue his son by opening the door, which was locked. Mr Lin struck the window on the driver’s side, breaking it.
However, the car driver began to move away while Mr Lin held on to one of the doors. He was thrown onto the road, and the impact caused injuries to his arms and face.
Nevertheless, he jumped back into his car and drove after it. At one point, he could no longer see the kidnappers’ car but found it on the side of the road a few kilometres later.
Fortunately, his son was inside, alone, and had no visible injuries. Mr Lin filed a police report afterwards.
According to CCTV footage from nearby establishments, a man, who is reportedly Mr Lin’s business partner, was seen nearby.
Mothership reported that Mr Lin believes he was motivated by greed to carry out a kidnap-for-ransom scheme. The man has already been arrested.
The mechanic who allegedly masterminded the kidnapping is a friend of the business partner, reported The New Straits Times on Wednesday (Dec 20).
Johor Acting Police Chief Deputy Commissioner M Kumar said that the boy was supposed to have been held for a ransom of RM300,000 (S$85,600).
Read also: Mother reunites with son 13 years after he was “kidnapped” by his father /TISG