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A 25-year-old man held a woman hostage for 12 hours and demanded S$70,000 from her to pay off the debts he had racked up from his failed business in China and gambling online.

Met victim online

According to Chinese daily Zaobao, the man from China, Huang Yang, got to know the female victim through social media.

Huang and the victim arranged to meet at Marina Bay Sands Hotel after the woman reached out to him.

He had already planned to rob the victim to pay off his debts.

Victim held hostage on Mar. 20, 2021

The pair met and had sex in the hotel room on Mar. 20, 2021.

Huang ambushed the victim after she finished showering and came out from the bathroom naked.

Using the tape he had prepared earlier in the morning, Huang bound the woman's hands and legs.

Telling the victim that he needed money and was at his wit's end, Huang coerced the victim into revealing her phone's passcode.

Huang coerced details out of victim

After realising that he needed the victim's PIN to access her bank account, Huang attempted to force the victim into providing him with her credentials.

The victim resisted but ultimately acceded to Huang's demands after he pushed her forcefully, according to Zaobao.

Throughout the night, the victim proceeded to transfer funds out of her bank account and into a few third party bank accounts under Huang's instructions.

The following day, the woman was woken up by Huang, who instructed her to perform some transactions on her credit card.

Victim lost S$70,000

According to Zaobao, the woman lost a total of 341,200 yuan (S$72,800), over the course of the night.

However, Huang wanted more.

He tried to take a 300,000 yuan (S$64,000) loan using the victim's name, but his attempt was foiled and rejected by the bank.

Victim held hostage for 12 hours

According to Zaobao, the victim was held hostage for around 12 hours.

The victim's limbs were bound throughout the ordeal, and Huang watched her closely, even when she went to the toilet.

When Huang was releasing the victim, he threatened her with the information he knew about her family and her nude photos.

The victim called the bank to cancel her transactions after Huang released her, but it was too late.

She only made a police report after her friend's persuasion, and Huang was arrested on the same day.

Three years and two months jail and 12 strokes of the cane

The prosecution argued for a heavier sentence to be meted out to Huang, as he had held the victim hostage for a considerable amount of time and robbed her of a significant amount of money.

Huang was sentenced to three years and two months of imprisonment, along with 12 strokes of the cane, on March 28, 2022.

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