S'pore couple forced by
JB robbers to withdraw money from ATMs
Saturday, November 2, 2013 - 07:30
Ng Jun Sen
Matthaeus Choo
The New Paper
What was supposed to be a short trip to Johor Baru for a
singaporean couple turned into four hours of hell.
The couple were allegedly robbed after an attempt to flee led to a
horrifying car chase.
Then followed four nerve-racking hours driving around the city from
one ATM to another to draw money to pay the men.
The two men, armed with a knife, took off with RM6,000 (S$2,400)
and their mobile phones - an iPhone 4S and a Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
This is how the events last Saturday unfolded.
1. You owe me money
It started at a petrol station opposite Plaza Pelangi, a shopping
mall in Johor Baru frequented by singaporeans.
Mr and Mrs Lim (they refused to give their full names or be
identified in photographs as they feared for their safety) had just
come from a hair salon near the mall. They were refuelling their
car, a white Volkswagen Scirocco, for the trip home at about
11.15pm.
They were suddenly approached by two men in their 30s, one of whom
had a knife. The men said Mr Lim owed them RM65,000 and recognised
him through his vehicle's licence plate number.
Said Mr Lim, 35, who runs a car dealership: "I have never borrowed
money from anyone in Malaysia."
The couple have travelled to Johor Baru more than 40 times in the
past two years and have never encountered anyone making such a
claim.
As his wife called the police, Mr Lim tried to stall for time by
arguing with the two men. The Johor police headquarters was less
than 100m away.
"I kept telling (the men) it's a case of mistaken identity, but
they became aggressive, pushing me and clenching their fists in my
face," he said.
"At that time, there were a lot of people at the petrol station who
saw what happened, but none of them helped us."
Mrs Lim, 32, claimed she spoke to a Johor police officer over the
phone and was assured that help would come soon.
Johor Baru deputy police chief Ismail Yatim confirmed that they got
a call for help from Mrs Lim.
A patrol vehicle was promptly sent to investigate, but the couple
were gone by the time they arrived. Police also tried to call them
but the number was not in use, said Mr Ismail.
Meanwhile, fearing for their safety, Mr Lim sped off towards the
immigration checkpoint.
2. Threatened with knife
That was when he realised the men were chasing him in a white
lorry, which he believed was modified. it soon overtook the couple
and weaved dangerously in front of their car.
Said Mr Lim: "We were speeding towards the checkpoint, trying to
escape. But I couldn't outrun him at all. Many people were honking
their horns at us."
The lorry suddenly braked in front of them, forcing them to stop
near a Shell petrol station just half a kilometre away from the
checkpoint.
The man who carried the knife alighted and walked over to Mrs Lim's
side of the car, threatening to smash the window.
Said Mr Lim: "I was afraid of what he would do to my wife if he got
in, so I wound down my side of the window. I didn't expect him to
come over and snatch the car keys from the ignition."
The man allegedly forced Mrs Lim to go to the back seat.
He then entered the car, sitting beside Mr Lim.
"He didn't pull out his knife and he kept telling us that it wasn't
a robbery and he just wanted us to return him the money that we
owed," said Mr Lim.
3. Don't insult me
The man ordered Mr lim to drive to a car wash, where someone would
bring them documents proving Mr lim's debt.
But those documents never arrived. Mr Lim claimed the man seemed to
get more desperate, hurling Hokkien vulgarities at them.
They were then told to drive a short distance to a 7-Eleven store,
followed closely by the white lorry.
There, the man gave them an ultimatum: Leave the car, or pay the
man "compensation" to make it worth his time.
Mr Lim said: "I lied that I only carried RM400 with me, but my wife
blurted out that she had RM3,000."
Said Mrs Lim, who works in a bank: "I was so terrified of the man,
I didn't dare to try anything different."
But the man wasn't satisfied and allegedly told the couple "don't
insult me". He then ordered them to drive to an ATM to withdraw
more cash.
4. No cash
It was 2.30am when they arrived at a standard chartered aTM, which
was situated opposite the Johor police headquarters.
Said Mr Lim: "I saw no police around, but I made sure the ATM's
closed-circuit television cameras captured the man's face."
But the ATM could not dispense any cash.
5. Call your bank
They went to another aTM operated by ciMB Bank near Plaza Pelangi
at about 3am. Even then, he still could not withdraw any cash as
his UoB aTM card was not approved for overseas withdrawal.
"He made me call the bank over speakerphone to activate the card,"
said Mr Lim. "The bank staff told me to wait until 3.30am for the
card to be activated."
Mr Lim claimed the man also began to call several people for advice
on how to proceed, and Mr Lim heard male and female voices on the
other end.
He could not understand what was said as the man spoke in Malay,
but he thought the man suspected he was being tricked.
Then, instead of waiting until 3.30am, the man told the driver in
the white lorry to return home and forced the couple to drive to
another ATM near City Square Mall.
6. Ordeal ends at 4am
At a hong leong Bank ATM, Mr Lim managed to withdraw RM3,000 when
his earlier request to authorise overseas withdrawals took
effect.
"At that point, I just wanted to leave. I wanted to give him the
money and go, but he told me to drop him off elsewhere first," he
said.
They drove to a hawker centre, where the ordeal finally ended at
about 4am, after the man took the cash and their mobile phones and
escaped.
Before he left, however, the man gave him two numbers to call and
told them to collect their mobile phones at Woodlands Centre later
that morning.
Said Mr Lim: "I didn't even think of giving chase. I drove off to
the checkpoint straightaway. I didn't even call any of the numbers
or go to Woodlands Centre either." The couple made a report at the
police station at the Customs and immigration checkpoint in Johor
Baru and were told to make a detailed report at their police
headquarters. Mr Lim flatly refused.
"There's no way they will make me go near where we first met the
men that night," he said.
They went straight home.
The couple had to return to the same police headquarters on Tuesday
to speak to police investigators. Said Mrs Lim about her return
trip: "I was trembling the whole time. What if it happens
again?"
Said Mr Lim: "It was such a scary experience for me and my wife. No
way am I going back to Johor Baru again."
Tips from Singapore and Johor police
1. never take shortcuts through dark, deserted places. keep to
well-lit areas with people and traffic.
2. pack your belongings in inconspicuous bags. Expensive bags can
draw unnecessary attention.
3. clean out your wallet or purse before you go. take only
essential credit cards. Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
4. don't display expensive jewellery, cameras and other items that
might draw attention.
5. don't be distracted by strangers creating a commotion or
accidentally spilling something onto you.
6. carry your purse close to your body. carry your wallet in your
front pocket.
7. park your vehicle in well-lit areas and in parking spaces where
there is security.
8. use additional security equipment such as steering wheel locks,
clutch and brake locks, disc locks, gear locks and audible alarm
systems to secure your vehicle.
Johor police hotline: 07-221-2999
OTHER S'POREANS ROBBED IN JB THIS YEAR
WHEN
SEPT 3
WHAT
Ms Fie, 41, and her family were driving along Jalan tebrau when two
men on a motorcycle smashed the front passenger side window of her
car and snatched a gold kate spade handbag. the handbag contained
ms fie's ic, driver's licence, three bank cards, work security
pass, house keys, car key and $297 in singapore and malaysian
currency.
WHEN
JULY 30
WHAT
Madam Rajeswary Kartigeyan was abducted by at least three people,
one of whom was just a boy of about 15 years old, outside sultanah
Aminah hospital at Jalan persiaran Abu bakar sultan. she was
bundled into the back seat of a car, bound, blindfolded, gagged
with tape and told she would be murdered if she did not comply with
the abductors' demands.
she was robbed of $360 in singapore and malaysian currency,
jewellery worth $4,000 and her mobile phone.
WHEN
MARCH 19
WHAT
Mr Effande Mohamad Yashin and a couple, Mr Shah and Madam Emma,
were preparing to leave their friend's home at taman nusa perintis,
gelang patah, when a white honda with four men stopped in front of
them. A man jumped out of the car and put a rusty parang to mr
shah's neck.
Another man got out of the car and brandished a metal rod about the
length of a baseball bat at madam Emma. the robbers took madam
Emma's handbag containing the couple's ics and passports, about 10
credit and debit cards, multiple work and personal documents, and
about $100 in singapore and malaysian currency.
WHEN
MARCH 3
WHAT
Events planner Serene Tay, 38, was robbed by a motorcyclist while
she was waiting in her car for her cousin at taman sentosa.
The rider gestured to her and knocked on her window. when she
ignored him, he used a metal rod to smash the front passenger side
window. she got out of the car to try to escape, but was then
attacked, leaving her with abrasions and chest pains. the robber
fled with her mobile phone and wallet, which contained about
RM1,500 (s$600).
