1999 Bukit Timah kidnapping
| Date | 9 September 1999 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bukit Timah, Singapore |
| Motive | To get money to settle debts (Lee) |
| Deaths | None |
| Convicted |
|
| Sentence | Life imprisonment |
In September 1999, in an attempt to discharge his bankruptcy, 33-year-old Vincent Lee Chuan Leong (李泉梁 Lǐ Quánliáng), a Singaporean marketing manager, together with Shi Song Jing (施松进 Shī Sōngjìn) and Zhou Jian Guang (周建光 Zhōu Jiànguāng), both illegal immigrants from China, kidnapped a 14-year-old female student in Singapore. They abducted her into their rented car and demanded a S$500,000 ransom from the girl's father, a wealthy second-hand car dealer. The sum was lowered through negotiation to S$330,000. The ransom was paid and the girl released without harm.
Shortly after, Lee and his two accomplices were arrested by the Singapore Police Force. Lee was sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping by ransom. Shi and Zhou received the same sentence in a separate trial. After serving twenty years, ten months and nine days in jail, Lee was granted parole and released on 22 June 2020.