4 arrested for abduction, possession of weapon

SINGAPORE – Two men and two women have been arrested for abduction and possession of a scheduled weapon, with one set to be charged in court on Aug 5.

The police were alerted to a case of a man being threatened by a group of four people with a parang at a carpark in Canberra Street on Aug 4 at about 1.55am, the police said in a statement in the early morning of Aug 5.

Preliminary investigations showed that the victim was confronted by the group because of a dispute over a car rental agreement.

A 38-year-old man from the group held a parang and threatened the victim, who was then asked to sit in the front passenger seat of his vehicle.

He was driven to another location by the 38-year-old man, while the other man in the group, 36, sat in the rear.

Officers from Woodlands Police Division found the victim’s vehicle and the 38-year-old man fled in the vehicle with both passengers when he saw the police, who chased the car.

The victim’s vehicle collided with a lamp post at the junction of Woodlands Avenue 7 and Woodlands Avenue 10.

The 36-year-old man then ran away while the 38-year-old man was arrested at the scene, with a parang recovered in his possession.

The 36-year-old man and two women, aged 30 and 38, were arrested separately through follow-up investigations.

The 38-year-old man will be charged on Aug 5 with abduction and the possession of a scheduled weapon.

If convicted, he could be jailed, fined, caned, or face a combination of these punishments, for both offences.

Investigations against the 36-year-old man and the two women are ongoing, said the police.