SINGAPORE, May 12 — Details of the planning that went into the sensational kidnapping of the elderly mother of Sheng Siong supermarket’s boss have emerged for the first time, as the court sentenced one of the perpetrators to three years’ jail yesterday.

The first kidnap-for-ransom case in Singapore in more than 10 years was plotted more than two years before it happened, prosecutors revealed yesterday.

The court that heard the case of Heng Chen Boon, who pleaded guilty to assisting in the abduction of Madam Ng Lye Poh, 79, on Jan 8 last year, was told yesterday his accomplice Lee Sze Yong was deep in debt.

Lee, 42, whose case has not come up before the courts, had racked up about S$200,000 (RM 540,026) in loans from banks, friends, and both legal and illegal moneylenders, prosecutors say.

Sometime in 2011, the then-retail sales executive allegedly set his mind to commit a kidnapping so that he, his mother and Heng could get to a better financial position.

Lee and Heng, 51, cohabited in a Hougang Street 51 flat and had remained good friends after they “ceased being intimate”, the court heard.

Lee began shortlisting potential targets by scanning through Forbes magazine’s “Singapore’s Richest” list and profiles of local companies online, court documents show.

As part of his research, he also bought items for his plans, including a skin-coloured face mask from eBay, a taser from Bangkok, a pepper spray from Kuala Lumpur and two false car registration plates from Johor Baru.

Sometime in 2013, Lee started keeping tabs on Sheng Siong founder Lim Hock Chee and his family members, after learning he was worth around S$500 million. Over six months, Lee drove frequently to Lim’s residence, observed Ng’s daily routine and took notes on how to carry out the abduction and demand ransom.

On Jan 8 last year at about 11.30am, Lee allegedly approached Ng at an overhead bridge along Hougang Avenue 2 with the ruse that her son was in a serious condition after falling in the office.

After successfully duping Ng into accompanying him, Lee drove to Seletar Camp in a rented car, where he put a face mask and blindfold on her.

Lee then allegedly called Lim to demand a ransom of S$20 million, threatening him via text message in Mandarin: “If you dare to report to the Police or if someone follows us, we can forget about it ... You will never see your mother again ... I have nothing to lose ... We will contact again for the money tonight.”

When he realised the rented car was due to be returned, Lee called Heng to drive his own car to a car park at Punggol End.

Heng, who at the time of the offence was employed to check on credit card machines, was unaware of Lee’s plans then, the court heard. Heng was shocked to see Ng blindfolded but did not know who she was. Lee allegedly told him not to ask questions, and asked him to return the rented car.

After that, Lee is said to have driven to various places around the island with Ng, including around the Kranji Farmway, Lim Chu Kang cemetery and Jurong West.

At about 8.30pm, Heng was summoned to Sembawang Park, where Lee finally confessed that he had kidnapped Ng.

Despite his pleading to let Ng go, Lee was not dissuaded, and instead asked Heng to watch over the elderly woman while he collected the ransom.At about 11pm, Lim, who had since made a police report, dropped a bag of cash at a specific tree in the park, as instructed. Lee later dropped Ng off at a bus stop near Seletar Camp.

The police swooped in on the duo shortly after.

Yesterday, deputy public prosecutor Kavita Uthrapathy said although Heng was not the mastermind, he decided to go along with Lee’s plan despite having a choice to leave.

For assisting in the abduction, Heng could have been jailed 10 years and fined. Lee, who faces the kidnapping charge, could be hanged, if convicted.— TODAY