A 46-year-old man was arrested by Singapore police for his suspected involvement in a case of extortion.
The police said on Monday, September 15, that they received a report from a woman on September 11 at around 3.55 pm stating that her male friend had been contacting her to ask her to transfer cryptocurrency to him via a QR code, as he claimed that another friend of his required the money.
She used the QR code to transfer over S$78,000 in total, but because she thought her friend was having problems, she reported it to the police.
The police said, "Through extensive ground enquiries and follow-up investigations, officers from Woodlands Police Division established the identity of the 46-year-old man and arrested him within eight hours of receiving the report, at Changi Airport Terminal 1."
According to preliminary investigations, the man allegedly used cable ties to restrain the male victim at a hotel on Coleman Street and demanded more than S$200,000 in extortion money.
The cryptocurrency that was extorted was found. The male victim was taken to the hospital while conscious after suffering injuries.
The man will face charges of extortion under Section 384 of the Penal Code 1871. In addition to caning, the offense carries a minimum sentence of two years and a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
The police warned that they will not put up with such egregious criminal activity and will make every effort to catch these criminals and deal with them legally.
