Posted on: March 28, 2022, 09:38h.
Last updated on: March 28, 2022, 09:46h.
Last year, a Chinese man in Singapore wasn’t successful as an entrepreneur or gambler. That led him to kidnap and hold hostage a woman he met at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. He is now on his way to prison for his actions.
Meeting someone through social media doesn’t necessarily have to end badly, although there are plenty of examples of when it does. A young woman in Singapore may think twice after her date went horribly wrong last year.
She became a victim following a night of what may have otherwise been a pleasant evening. Her date kidnapped her and held her hostage at Marina Bay Sands, demanding that she give him all the money she could. It didn’t end well for the attacker, however, who will now spend a few years in jail.
Date Turns Into Kidnapping
A 25-year-old man, Huang Yang, was a failure. He tried to be an entrepreneur and lost. He tried to be an online gambler as well, but also lost. That was when he concocted a scheme.
The Chinese media outlet Zaobao reports that he hatched a plan that would lead to easy money. He had been talking to an unidentified female via social media and convinced her to meet him at the hotel at Marina Bay Sands.
That was March 20 of last year. It would be a night the soon-to-be victim will never forget. After the two engaged in a romantic interlude in the hotel room, she excused herself to take a shower. When she returned, Huang was ready to put his plan into action.
He grabbed her and bound her arms and legs. Huang then demanded that she give him access to her phone, ready to enter her bank account and steal her money.
The victim resisted attempts to reveal her secret PIN, but ultimately succumbed to her attacker. Once insider her bank account, Huang forced her to transfer money to various accounts he controlled.
That wasn’t the end of the ordeal, however. Huang, with the woman still bound by the tape, went to sleep. The next morning, he forced her to complete several transactions using her credit card. By the time everything was over, he had stolen S$72,800 (US$53,493).
That still wasn’t enough. Huang attempted to secure a loan for S$64,000 (US$47,027) using the woman’s information, but was unsuccessful.
Kidnapper, Thief Doesn’t Get Far
Fortunately for the victim, Huang’s plan didn’t include murder. After keeping her bound for 12 hours, he let her go. He threatened to attack her family and expose naked pictures of her if she went to the police. The threats worked, but not for long.
The victim tried to convince the bank to cancel the transactions, but was unsuccessful. She initially wasn’t going to file a police report and only did after a friend convinced her that she should. Police arrested Huang that same day.
The drama finally ended last Friday. Huang appeared in court to answer for his crimes, and will have plenty of time to learn what it feels like to be a hostage.
Huang will spend 38 months in a Singapore jail and will also receive 12 strokes of a cane. It could have been worse – prosecutors had sought a much longer and more painful sentence.