Four Chinese Nationals Charged in Penang Court Over Kidnapping of Singaporean Man for SGD1 Million Ransom

BALIK PULAU, Sept 10 – Four Chinese nationals were charged at the Balik Pulau Sessions Court on Thursday with kidnapping a Singaporean man at Penang International Airport in July and demanding an SGD1 million (approximately RM3.28 million) ransom. The accused—Liu Ting Jun, 46; Huang Jian, 39; Wang Hao Yu, 32; and Guan Siqi, 24, the sole woman among the defendants—pleaded not guilty after the charge was read to them in Mandarin before Judge Ahzal Fariz Ahmad Khairuddin.

According to the charge sheet, the four accused, along with two individuals still at large and two others who have since died, are alleged to have jointly abducted and wrongfully confined Quek Aik Teng at the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas at 4:15 pm on July 26. The charge is framed under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of between 30 and 40 years’ imprisonment as well as caning upon conviction.

Opposing bail, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ikmal Affendi Zulkifly cited the severity of the crime and public interest considerations, stating, “A review of their passports is being carried out, and there is still no confirmation from the Immigration Department of Malaysia.” Counsel Azizul Hilmi Zulkifli, representing Guan, Huang, and Wang, requested bail subject to conditions such as surrendering their passports and reporting to a police station, while lawyer Edward Ng, representing Liu, argued for reasonable bail on grounds that his client had cooperated throughout police investigations and possessed no prior criminal record. Judge Ahzal Fariz denied all bail applications and fixed October 15 for case mention.

The court appearance follows a related operation in which police shot dead two foreign nationals in Alor Setar, Kedah, last Saturday. Authorities believe the deceased were members of an organized kidnapping syndicate that systematically targeted foreign nationals, luring victims with fake job offers and vacation packages initiated through dating apps and social media platforms.

–NMT