What was supposed to be a nondescript trip to Johor Bahru (JB) turned out to be a harrowing experience for a 40-year-old Singaporean businessman and his family.
The man, surnamed Lin, almost lost his seven-year-old son on Dec. 12 to three unknown men in JB.
Lin also suffered abrasions to his left forearm, both hands, nose, lips and lost two teeth in his attempt to rescue his son.
Photo courtesy of Lin.
Photo courtesy of Lin.
Photo courtesy of Lin.
What happened
Lin told Mothership that he was at No. 5 Jalan Serampang Taman Pelangi with his wife, son and daughter on Dec. 12.
They were there to look at new workshops for Lin's business.
According to CCTV footage from a building nearby, the two children were playing outside the workshop while Lin was inside a workshop.
The mother had walked away for about a minute before a gold-coloured car came to a stop by the roadside. A man got off the car and quickly grabbed the boy and dashed back into the car.
The car sped off and Lin's daughter went back into the workshop to alert Lin and his wife.
Video courtesy of Lin.
"Suddenly, I heard my daughter shouting for help. I immediately went out and saw my son was no longer around," Lin said.
Gave chase
Lin immediately tried to give chase to the car, which to his 11-year-old daughter's recollection, had no car plate.
He caught up with the car and drove to block the car's way.
The car then rammed into the rear of Lin's car.
Lin jumped out of his car and tried to open the kidnappers' car door but it was locked.
Out of desperation to save his son, he hit the driver's window so hard that the window broke and that's when he saw three men seated inside with his son.
The kidnappers then reversed their car, attempting to flee the scene.
Lin was still holding onto their car door and he was thrown off the road when the car moved away, resulting in multiple injuries on his face and arms.
Lin dashed back to his car and gave chase.
While he lost sight of the kidnappers' car after the latter made a turn at a traffic light, he eventually found the car abandoned by the road about 3km from the traffic light.
Found his son alone in the abandoned car, police reports made
Lin's son was left alone in the car.
Fortunately, the boy was safe and sound, with no visible injuries, Lin told Mothership.
After reuniting with his son, Lin went to make a police report in Johor Bahru.
He also collected CCTV footage capturing the car and a man who was already lurking near the workshop before his son was taken away.
Screenshot from video courtesy of Lin.
Screenshot of business partner lurking around the workshop with a gold-coloured car that has its car plate masked. Photo courtesy of Lin.
The man was identified to be his business partner.
Lin said that they didn't have prior disputes but he believed the man was motivated by money.
He claimed that the business partner hired the three men and rented the gold car to aid in his kidnapping scheme.
According to Lin, the Malaysian police has caught his business partner but the three other men who were involved in this case had not been found.
Upon returning to Singapore, Lin also made a police report at Ang Mo Kio South Neighbourhood Police Centre.
"I want to make this incident public so that the men involved can be held accountable, as this is clearly premeditated," he told Mothership.
Lin also added that he is hesitant to have any business venture in Malaysia for the time being.
What to do if you encounter trouble in JB
If you're a Singaporean and you encounter trouble in JB, you can contact the Consulate-General, located in the Johor Bahru City Square Office Tower. Their contact details can be found here.
If you require urgent Consular assistance outside of office hours, the Consulate-General's Duty Officer can be contacted at +60 19 791 1166.
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Top image courtesy of Lin