Man arrested for faking own kidnapping in Vietnam
A Singaporean man claimed he was kidnapped in Vietnam, but it was later discovered that this may have been a ruse to get his relatives to send him money.
When the 30-year-old returned to Singapore early Wednesday morning, he was arrested at Changi Airport.
In a news release yesterday, the police said they received a report on Feb 27 at 10.35pm that the man had been kidnapped in Vietnam.
The man had told his family that they should transfer US$15,000 (S$20,200) to his bank account as ransom for his release.
The New Paper understands that the relatives transferred a sum of money to the account, but not the full amount demanded.
The police here contacted their counterparts in Vietnam, who rendered their assistance in the investigation.
They found the man safe and well, establishing that he was not kidnapped.
"Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to have staged his own kidnapping, so that his relatives would send money to him," said the police yesterday.
The man's flight back to Singapore landed at about 12.05am on Wednesday, and the police arrested him for his suspected involvement in a case of cheating.
If found guilty of cheating, the man can be jailed up to 10 years and fined.
Police investigations are ongoing.
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