A 38-year-old man from Singapore was charged on Aug 5 in connection with the alleged abduction of a 19-year-old man, with prosecutors also filing an additional charge relating to the possession of a 43cm-long parang.
Court documents stated that Mashahri Mazlan allegedly abducted the victim on Aug 4 at about 1.55am at Block 104B Canberra Street. He is accused of using a knife to threaten the victim and forcing him into a vehicle.
The accused was also allegedly carrying a parang measuring approximately 43cm in length during the incident.
According to the documents, Mashahri allegedly drove the victim’s car from Canberra Street to 43 Admiralty Road West before travelling to the junction of Woodlands Avenue 10 and Woodlands Avenue 7.
Police said in an earlier statement that they were alerted to the incident on Aug 4. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim had allegedly been confronted by a group consisting of Mashahri, two women and another man over a dispute involving a car rental arrangement.
Mashahri allegedly used the parang to threaten the victim and instructed him to sit in the front passenger seat of the vehicle.
The other male member of the group allegedly sat in the back seat.
After the reported abduction, officers from Woodlands Police Division located the victim’s vehicle in Woodlands. However, Mashahri allegedly accelerated away in an attempt to evade arrest.
The pursuit came to an end when the vehicle crashed into a lamppost at the junction of Woodlands Avenue 7 and Woodlands Avenue 10.
Mashahri was arrested at the scene, where police allegedly recovered the parang in his possession. The remaining members of the group fled from the location.
A 36-year-old man and two women, aged 30 and 38, were later arrested separately following further investigations. Police said inquiries into their involvement are still ongoing.
Mashahri will remain in remand as police continue their investigations. His case is scheduled to return to court on Aug 12.
If convicted of abduction, an offender may face imprisonment of up to seven years, a fine, caning, or a combination of these penalties.
