PUBLISHED ONAugust 11, 2026 2:57 AMBYSean LerA 72-year-old male Singaporean rescued by the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) in Kedah on Aug 7 is believed to have been kidnapped by a syndicate that is linked to two other reported cases.
In a briefing to the Malaysia media on Monday (Aug 10) regarding the Aug 7 police operation, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director M. Kumar said the syndicate is believed to be involved in two other cases in Kuala Lumpur.
According to Kumar, the cases happened in July and only came to light after one of the female victims escaped on her own and filed a police report. No reports were lodged by anyone prior.
Based on the female victim's report, the RMP mounted an operation to rescue the other victim, who was kept at the same location as the woman who managed to escape.
Shedding more light on the case involving the Singaporean man who was kidnapped, Kumar said that he sent a voice message to his family on Aug 4.
In the message, he informed them that he had been held captive and would only be released upon payment of a S$1 million (RM3.1 million) ransom, part of which was paid to the kidnappers before the rescue
In its news release on Monday, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) had said that they received a report from the man's family on Aug 4.
Meanwhile, the 33-year-old female Chinese national who was rescued along with the Singaporean man was kidnapped on Aug 5.
She was held at the same location as the Singaporean man.
The 33-year-old became acquainted with a foreign woman through WeChat, who then invited her to Penang to meet a man.
She was then extorted USDT 20,000 (cryptocurrency) in ransom and told that she would be sent to Myanmar if she did not comply.
The woman then contacted her family to borrow money but no ransom was paid yet.
Similar to the SPF's news release, Kumar said that the syndicate's modus operandi included targeting victims through dating applications and social media platforms such as Telegram, WeChat and Badoo.
The victims were invited to meet, offered holidays, employment opportunities or social activities.
Once the victims met up with the suspects in person, they would be abducted and detained before being made to disclose their banking information.
Kumar also said that both victims were tortured and found with wounds consistent with those made by a "sharp object".
He added that the RMP is working with their international counterparts to identify other criminal records linked to the six individuals, comprising five men and one woman, who were arrested in a follow-up operation.
One of the six arrested is a Malaysian man, while the other five are Chinese nationals.
During the police operation to rescue the Singaporean man and 33-year-old female Chinese national, one suspect was shot dead after he opened fire at officers.
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