7 most wanted S’pore fugitives still at large, from O-Level cheater to runaway murderers

List of fugitives wanted by the Singapore government

As far as criminal activity goes in Singapore, the Little Red Dot has garnered some sort of reputation over the years for having a no-nonsense approach towards those who tango with the law.

When people find themselves on the wrong side of it, most end up having to answer for their actions — but there have been rare cases of lawbreakers giving the arms of justice the slip.

Some of these fugitives have even been issued Red Notices by Interpol.

Here are seven individuals who are wanted by the Singapore government and are still at large to this day.

1. Poh Yuan Nie — Principal who helped students cheat in exams

Wanted for: helping students cheat in exchange for money.

One would usually associate fugitives with crimes so heinous that they warrant skipping the border in order not to face the music.

However, in perhaps the most Singaporean twist ever, the former principal of a tuition centre, Poh Yuan Nie, is wanted internationally, not for first-degree murder or for embezzling millions, but for helping her students cheat in their O-Level examinations. 

In October 2016, Poh, along with three of her tuition centre’s teachers, conspired to help six students from China cheat in their exams.

For her efforts, she was paid S$8,000 per student, as well as S$1,000 in admission fees.

However, there was a caveat — should any of the students fail their papers, the money was to be fully refunded.

 

Poh’s covert operation went a little like this: her teachers would first sit for the exams as private candidates.

They would then capture images of the paper via FaceTime using concealed phones attached to their chests.

The questions were then solved remotely by the other conspirators, and the answers were fed to the students who wore skin-coloured earpieces connected to Bluetooth devices and mobile phones. 

However, things went awry when an invigilator noticed strange electronic transmission noises emanating from one of the students.

Upon further investigation, the student was caught with his contraption and had to spill the beans.

Poh was then arrested and made to stand trial, and after a drawn-out run of court proceedings, in September 2020, she was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.

After she failed to surrender herself in September 2022, it was suspected that she had fled the country.

2. Siak Lai Chun — Fugitive on the run since 1997

Wanted for: pulling off an S$18.7 million bank scam.

Another Singaporean on Interpol’s radar is Siak Lai Chun, who has been on the run for more than two decades. 

While working at the now-defunct Overseas Union Bank (OUB), Siak managed to allegedly siphon off S$18.7 million from the bank between 1995 and 1997.

The money came from five unsuspecting OUB customers, and Siak was able to take off with their funds through fake cashier’s orders that were not verified by those who had signed off on them. 

She then accrued S$7.5 million in fraudulent refunds for cashier’s orders that were already paid out by the bank, as well as transferring out another S$1.14 million for falsified housing loans.

Siak also cunningly intercepted bank statements for these five customers that should have been sent to them via mail, so they were completely oblivious to her schemes. 

After her scams were exposed, she had been on the run since December 1997.

3. Neo Soon Joo — Taxi driver who kidnapped three customers

Wanted for: kidnapping a 2-year-old child, her grandmother, and their domestic helper.

Cases of kidnapping are far and few between in Singapore, but that is not to say that they are completely unheard of.

In April 2008, 37-year-old cabby Neo Soon Joo and another taxi driver, Au Gan Chye, abducted three of his customers as they were alighting from his taxi.

In the blink of an eye, a 60-year-old woman, her 2-year-old granddaughter, and her domestic helper found themselves threatened at knifepoint after what seemed like a routine taxi ride home. 

Neo then demanded S$60,000 from the woman, and she complied, coughing up S$50,000 when they dropped her at a POSB branch in Hougang, as that was all she had.

The victims were left in the abandoned car afterwards, shaken but not hurt. 

Shortly after the whole ordeal, Au was given S$15,000 for his role in the abduction and gave Neo a lift to the Woodlands Checkpoint to flee the country.

Au was eventually apprehended and sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the same cannot be said for Neo, as he remains at large to this day. 

4. Febri Irwansyah Djatmiko — Helped his boss kill his wife’s lover

Wanted for: being an accomplice to the brutal murder of a 37-year-old man.

Indonesian Febri Irwansyah Djatmiko found himself embroiled in a lovers’ spat when his boss called on him for help with exacting revenge on his wife’s adulterous lover.

In November 2012, Singaporean businessman Chia Kee Chen discovered that his wife was having an affair with her colleague, 37-year-old Dexmon Chua.

He requested that his wife cut all ties with the man — however, an errant Chinese New Year greeting sent to his wife by Dexmon proved to be his tipping point, and from then on, red was all Chia saw.

One fateful day in December 2013, Chia asked for help from Febri, an employee at his company, and Chua Leong Aik, his best friend, to help carry out his ploy.

The three men ambushed and kidnapped Dexmon at a multi-storey car park in Choa Chu Kang.

While Chua drove the van, Chia and Febri electrocuted and grievously assaulted Dexmon until he met his demise, causing fractures to his face, jaw, and eye socket.

His body was then dumped at a military live firing area in Lim Chu Kang.

Chia, who went on a holiday to Malaysia with his family right after bloodying his hands, was arrested upon his return to Singapore, but not before helping Febri flee the country.

While the latter has been evading authorities, Chia was hanged in 2019 for murder.

5. David Rasif — Rogue lawyer who swindled his clients

Wanted for: misappropriating S$11.3 million of his law firm’s clients’ money.

David Rasif, the father of local influencer and DJ Jade Rasif, pulled off an S$11.3 million heist back in 2006.

Before becoming a fugitive of Singapore, David Rasif was an accomplished lawyer who established his own law firm in 1995.

Greed got the better of him when a client wrote him a S$10.7 million cheque to complete the purchase of a bungalow.

Apart from this huge lump sum, an additional 56 others have come forward claiming that they had been swindled by Rasif.

A few days before he escaped to Bangkok in May 2006, Rasif spent more than S$2 million on jewellery.

At the same time, he orchestrated telegraphic transfers to be moved around various countries. 

The ex-lawyer was last seen in Bangkok on 5 June 2006 by his wife, who reportedly received a letter from Rasif stating their “life together was over”, along with cheques addressed to their daughters.

6. Chng Meng Joo — Criminal on the run after double murder

Wanted for: murder of a 31-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy.

On 2 Nov 1980, two people working at Jurong Fishery Port, a 31-year-old fishmonger, Lee Cheng Tiong, and 16-year-old Teo Keng Siang were found brutally stabbed to death.

The case went cold for two years, but in 1982, authorities made some headway when 22-year-old Perak-born Beh Meng Chai confessed to the murders alongside two other Malaysians.

However, Malaysian authorities were only able to hand over 20-year-old Sim Min Teck, as they were unable to locate the final murderer, Chng Meng Joo. 

Turns out, the three men planned to rob Lee in his office, leading to a scuffle which resulted in Lee being stabbed by Sim and Chng a total of nine times while Beh stood watch outside.

Sim killed 16-year-old Teo when he walked into the brutal scene.

The trio then escaped with about S$1,000 in cash, RM100, and Lee’s pendant and chain, which they sold for an additional S$3,500.

Beh was sentenced to life imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane, while Sim was dealt the death penalty for the murders of Lee and Teo.

As things stand, a fate similar to Sim’s awaits Chng, provided that he is first nabbed by the authorities, as his whereabouts are still unknown.

7. Lim Hin Teck & Ong Chin Huat — At large after killing a man

Wanted for: gang-related violence resulting in the death of a 36-year-old man.

In May 2000, 36-year-old Leong Fook Weng was found dead in a vacant plot of land in Bukit Timah.

It was discovered that he was brutally assaulted by four secret society members and had sustained a lethal stab to the heart.

See Chee Keong, Robson Tay Teik Chai, Lim Hin Teck, and Ong Chin Huat were found guilty of the murder of Leong.

While Lim was unhappy with Leong because of a debt, the rest had grievances with Leong for various reasons, which included gang-related issues.

On the fateful day of the murder, the four men stopped by a funeral Leong was attending, and beat him up while dragging him into a car.

Afterwards, they drove to a remote area near a cemetery in Bukit Timah, stripped him of his clothes, and continued the beating.

In the heat of the moment, See used a small blade hidden within a lighter to stab Leong in the neck and chest, the latter resulting in a stab wound that would claim his life. 

The quartet then split up and fled Singapore, but both Tay and See would pick up drug-related charges in France and Cambodia, respectively, alerting the Singapore police to their whereabouts.

They were extradited back to Singapore after serving their sentences; See would be sentenced to 10 years in jail, while Tay was subject to nine years imprisonment and 10 strokes of the cane.

Lim and Ong remain at large.

Bonus: Mas Selamat — Wanted man recaptured after escape in 2008

A list of fugitives wanted by Singapore would not be complete without mentioning Mas Selamat.

Arguably the most well-known of the bunch, most would remember the posters bearing his mug shot everywhere, from MRT stations to HDB flats’ notice boards.

Mas Selamat was detained in the Internal Security Department’s Whitley Road Detention Centre for terrorism-related intentions in 2006.

During a family visit in February 2008, he managed to escape through an unsecured toilet window.

He then crossed the Straits of Johor into Malaysia through the use of an improvised floatation device. 

After being given a Red Notice by Interpol, he was eventually recaptured in April 2009 with the help of Malaysian Authorities in Johor.

Unlike the rest of the fugitives on this list, Mas Selamat’s whereabouts are known, as he is currently behind bars and detained indefinitely under the Internal Security Act.

Singapore’s most wanted fugitives who are still at large

Apart from Mas Selamat, the remaining seven fugitives on this list are still living life on the run.

Although they are probably not living amongst us on the Little Red Dot, it does not hurt to have another pair of watchful eyes on the streets.

Those who have information about wanted criminals can report it to local or national police.

Interpol also advises the public to stay safe and avoid approaching these individuals if seen.

Also read: MS Unsolved: The baffling Queenstown shooting that left a young seamstress dead in 1972

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Featured image adapted from Interpol.