Officers said the men, from China and Taiwan, showed up at the
park to collect a $1,500 ransom they demanded from the family of a
primary school girl.
The girl's father, who called his daughter's school and found
her safe and sound, told police the scammers demanded that the
money be left in an envelope under a tree at around 3pm.
The 21-year-old Chinese national and a 39-year-old Taiwanese man
are believed to be behind five kidnapping scams that conned victims
out of more than $25,000, according to police.
Several victims said they received phone calls claiming their
loved one had been abducted and would be harmed if they did not
hand over thousands of
dollars. The screams and cries of a child were often heard in
the background.
Police said the scammers arrived in
Singapore at the beginning of this month on social visit passes
and were staying in a Geylang hotel.
The police found them carrying $15,900 in cash, three mobile
phones and a bank remittance slip when they were
arrested.
The slip was traced to a 68-year-old woman who had been cheated
of $5,000 earlier on Tuesday.
The number of phony kidnappings in Singapore has risen sharply
over the past 12 months.
