Man who covered woman's head with bag & helped restrain her with cable ties in Jurong warehouse jailed 8 months

A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to jail for helping a friend restrain and bound another woman in a warehouse along Jalan Buroh for five hours in order to solicit money from her.

Wu Zhibing was charged under Section 348 of Penal Code 1871 on May 21 for "wrongful confinement for the purpose of extorting confession or of compelling restoration of property".

Friend asked for help to teach the victim a lesson

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Wu, a Chinese national who was previously on a work permit, was offered $10,000 to $20,800 by the co-accused and his house mate, 42-year-old Lin Mei, if he helped her "teach [the victim] a lesson".

This occured after Wu informed Lin that he intended to return to China as his work permit had expired in February 2024.

The victim, a 49-year-old woman, owed Lin a sum of $25,000 through gambling in November 2023. Both women knew each other through illegal gambling.

Wu was instructed to prepare a warehouse near Jurong, where he covered CCTVs with cloth in order to prevent any recording of events.

At around 2am on Feb. 28, 2024, Lin invited the victim to her residence on the pretext of going to a golf course together, but later drove her to the warehouse and asked her to help search for money in a luggage bag.

While the victim was squatting in the ground, Wu covered her head with a black bag, after which Lin and Wu grabbed her by the head, throat and legs and pressed her to the floor.

They also cable tied the victim's hands and legs together and replaced the bag with a blindfold, making her unable to move or see.

Lin then badgered the victim for money over five hours from 4am to 9am while Wu watched.

Upon discovering that the victim had recently sold her house for $300,000, Lin demanded $200,000 for her release, stating that she needed it to repay a loanshark.

The victim was only eventually released when another friend agreed to help pay $30,000 Lin on her behalf.

She was also warned by Lin that she would be "as good as dead" if she reported the incident to the police.

The victim filed a report after that, and Lin and Wu were arrested on the same day.

The victim suffered a bloodshot left eye, red marks under her eyes and marks on her hands and legs from the ordeal.

The Prosecution had originally sought a 10 to 14 months' jail term for Wu, noting that he had pleaded guilty early and did not claim trial, which qualified him for up to 30 per cent reduction in sentence.

CNA reported that Wu was ultimately sentenced to eight months in jail.

Lin's case is still pending, CNA also reported.

Top image from Google Maps and Mothership