Irresponsible gambling often leads to the accumulation of debts. At such a point, desperation can drive people to do rather horrifying things.
A debt-ridden man held a woman hostage at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) for 12 hours in Mar 2021, forcing her to transfer large sums of money throughout the ordeal.
Had her bank not interfered, the woman could have lost even more than the over $70,000 that the man had made her transfer.
On Monday (28 Mar), the court sentenced the man to 3 years and 2 months in jail as well as 12 strokes of the cane.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, the man had racked up a sizeable debt from gambling and a failed business in his homeland in China.
After getting to know the hostage through social media, they made plans to meet at MBS. At this point, the man had allegedly already planned to rob the woman to pay off his debts.
The pair met on 20 Mar 2021 and after having sexual intercourse, the man then ambushed the victim when she came out of the shower.
He reportedly proceeded to bound her to a chair with tape that he had prepared earlier.
At this point, the man explained his dire need for money and asked her to reveal her bank account details.
Although she denied having any money, the man allegedly pushed her, scaring her into sharing several passcodes to access her bank account through an app.
Throughout the night, she reluctantly followed instructions to transfer money out of her accounts and into several third-party accounts.
The amount transferred totalled approximately $72,000. However, this sum was apparently not enough for the man who also applied for a bank loan of $60,000 with the victim’s name. The bank rejected this application.
After 12 hours, the man finally released the woman but threatened to leak nude pictures of her to her family if she revealed any details of what transpired.
Unfortunately, for the victim, the bank was unable to cancel the transfers as it was late.
Under pressure from her friends, she filed a police report and the man was apprehended on the same day.
On 28 Mar, the court sentenced the man to 3 years and 2 months in jail. Along with the jail term, he will receive 12 strokes on the cane.
This sentencing comes after the prosecution sought a heavier sentence for the time he held the victim hostage and the large sum of money stolen.
Considering the ordeal the woman had to go through, it’s a relief that she got out of it relatively unharmed.
Hopefully, she will be able to recover the large sum of money that she had lost to the man.
May she also recover from the trauma of the horrifying experience and get the support she needs to do so.
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Featured images adapted from Google Maps and Craig Stanfill on Flickr.
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