It was a busy morning at the Alor Setar Magistrate Court in Kedah as four Chinese nationals—Liu Tingjun, Huang Jian, Wang Huoyu, and Guan Siqi—faced fresh charges in the dock. This time, the allegations are serious: they are accused of kidnapping and illegally detaining a Chinese woman in Kedah on the 7th of last month.
The group had already been on the police radar. Back on July 26, they snatched a 72-year-old Singaporean man at the Penang International Airport and slapped him with a $1 million SGD ransom demand. Local police previously shot dead two of their accomplices and managed to rescue both victims. The syndicate had been using social media to dangle fake jobs and holiday offers, trapping people as soon as they arrived.
Standing in court, all four pleaded not guilty. The judge denied bail, citing flight risks, and adjourned the case until October for mention. If convicted, they face up to seven years in prison and a fine. Over at the local coffee shop, the owner shook her head, warning that job seekers nowadays need to keep their eyes wide open, because those sweet-talking online offers might just lead straight to a kidnapper's den.
