2 Chinese men, aged 18 & 23, who studied in NUS & SIM, plead not guilty to staging kidnapping in M'sia

Two Chinese nationals, aged 18 and 23, who were studying in Singapore, were charged in Malaysia after they allegedly faked a kidnapping in a bid to extort a five million yuan (S$900,586) ransom from the younger man's parents.

Ye Yingxi, 18, reportedly from the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), and Zhang Runbao, 23, reportedly a student at the National University of Singapore (NUS), were charged in a Malaysia court on May 13.

They allegedly made a video call to Ye's 40-year-old mother, showing Ye bound, gagged, and partially stripped, and claimed her son had been kidnapped, reported New Straits Times.

But the "kidnapping" had allegedly been staged by both men.

They pleaded not guilty and claimed trial to an alternative charge.

Younger man went to Malaysia and got kidnapped

The offences took place on May 2 at a hotel unit in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur, reported Free Malaysia Today.

According to previous media reports, after the video call took place, Ye's parents immediately called the police and flew to Singapore from Dubai the same day.

When they learnt that their son had gone to Johor several days earlier, they flew to KL and reported the case to the Malaysia police.

It was not known why the younger man went to Malaysia in the first place where the kidnapping allegedly took place, which raised suspicions.

Malaysia police arrested a suspect, the older man, within 48 hours at the departure hall of Penang International Airport on May 4.

He apparently claimed that he had been made use of.

Later, the younger suspect, the 18-year-old teen, was found in Baling, Kedah.

He claimed that he had been released and was able to make a phone call to his grandfather in China, but police noted inconsistencies during questioning.

Earlier, Ye's mother said her son had not been to school for a week, but had always been independent and well-behaved.

Case management is scheduled for May 27.

If convicted, they face up to 10 years' jail and a fine, or an alternative charge punishable by up to five years' jail or a fine.

In response to Mothership's queries, an SIM spokesperson said the institution is aware of the "ongoing legal proceedings" and that breaches of the student code of conduct are addressed through disciplinary processes, and "further assessment will be made following the court’s decision".

An NUS spokesperson said that it is aware that one of its students is facing charges in Malaysian courts, and "will be monitoring the court proceedings closely".

Top image from Sin Chew Daily