SINGAPORE: A 15-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped in Malaysia is believed to be a victim of a China official impersonation scam, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Friday (Dec 6).
CNA understands that the girl is a Chinese national who goes to school in Singapore.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the girl was instructed by fake Chinese officials to travel to Malaysia on Nov 24 to assist in a purported case of money laundering, the police said in response to media queries.
Police on Friday confirmed that she returned to Singapore on Dec 1, accompanied by her father. Investigations are ongoing.
SPF received a report on Nov 25 that the girl had gone missing.
Singapore police said two days later that preliminary investigations indicated the girl had voluntarily left Singapore unaccompanied, and that the case was being investigated by Malaysian authorities.
CHINESE NATIONAL CHARGED IN MALAYSIA
According to Malaysian news outlet The Star, a Chinese national was charged in Johor Bahru on Thursday with the kidnapping of the girl.
Huang Xiaonan, a 22-year-old studying at a university in Singapore, is accused of kidnapping the girl at a hotel in Johor Bahru on Nov 24.
The court denied bail for Huang, with the prosecution calling him a flight risk. He is set to return to court on Jan 27, 2025.
According to The Star, the girl entered Johor Bahru through Woodlands checkpoint on Nov 24.
Johor police chief Commander M Kumar reportedly said that a 48-year-old Chinese national had lodged a report with the police on Nov 26, stating that his 15-year-old daughter had not attended school in Singapore.
The girl was found in Kuantan, Pahang. Huang was arrested at the same location, The Star reported.
From January to October this year, there were at least 308 scam cases in Singapore involving the impersonation of China officials, with total losses amounting to at least S$38.2 million (US$28.5 million).
In the same period last year, at least 231 scam cases involving the impersonation of China officials were recorded, with total losses amounting to more than S$22 million.
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