Taiwanese woman jailed 10 months for binding & blindfolding S’porean debtor over S$25K

Taiwanese woman jailed for binding & blindfolding debtor over S$25,000 loan

A 43-year-old Taiwanese woman was sentenced to 10 months’ jail on 3 Dec for confining a Singaporean debtor over a S$25,000 loan.

According to The Straits Times, Lin Mei enlisted the help of her housemate, 36-year-old Chinese national Wu Zhibing, who was previously sentenced to eight months’ jail.

Lin had borrowed money from Wu, and on 27 Feb 2024, he told her he planned to return to China as his work permit had expired.

She then asked him to help her “teach a lesson” to a debtor who owed her money, promising to repay her own debt to him in return.

The two women had known each other through illegal gambling activities.

Debtor lured to warehouse & restrained

Following Lin’s instructions, Wu went to a warehouse along Jalan Buroh, near Jurong Port Road, and covered CCTV cameras with cloth.

At around 2am on 28 Feb 2024, Lin contacted her 49-year-old debtor, asking her to come over. She told the victim that she was going to a golf course but needed to stop by the warehouse first.

The two women arrived at the warehouse around 3.30am, where Lin told the debtor there was money in a bag and asked her to search for it.

In the darkness, the victim had to squat and feel her way around. Wu then surprised her by covering her head with a black bag.

Both Lin and Wu grabbed the victim by her head, legs, and throat to pin her down and used plastic cable ties to restrain her hands and legs.

The victim was then blindfolded and seated on a chair.

Asks for S$200k, settles for S$30k

Lin repeatedly demanded money from the debtor and asked about the proceeds from the sale of her home.

When the victim said she had sold it for S$300,000, Lin demanded S$200,000 in exchange for her release. The debtor said she no longer had the funds.

At around 5am, the victim asked Lin to contact a friend, who agreed to provide S$30,000.

Lin and Wu finally released the debtor at about 9am. Before letting her go, Lin threatened that the victim would “be as good as dead” if she reported the incident to the police.

Despite the threats, the victim filed a police report, and both Lin and Wu were arrested later that day.

Lin pleaded guilty to one count of wrongful confinement. The ordeal left the victim with marks on her limbs that took two months to heal, and facial bruises that faded after two weeks.