27-10-2023 (SINGAPORE) In a bizarre and ultimately unsuccessful scheme, a man named Chen Zixiang found himself in police custody after deliberately injuring himself and attempting to extort S$200,000 from his own mother, aided by his friend Jaivin s/o Uthirapathy. Jaivin, aged 31, was sentenced to seven weeks in jail on October 26, 2023, after pleading guilty to two charges of conspiracy to cheat and mischief, as reported by Shin Min Daily News.
Jaivin and Zixiang’s acquaintance dates back a decade when they crossed paths on a poker forum. Their paths took a darker turn on January 5, 2023, when Jaivin agreed to Zixiang’s invitation to play poker at the condominium of their mutual friend, Chen Shijie.
However, the intended gambling event was canceled due to insufficient participants, leaving only Zixiang, Jaivin, and Shijie in Shijie’s condo. It was during this gathering that Zixiang hatched a plan to extort money from his mother.
Jaivin reluctantly agreed to help because he owed Zixiang money.
Zixiang’s elaborate scheme involved a fake kidnapping. He would call his mother and falsely claim to have a history of scamming people. Then, he would assert that he had been kidnapped by his supposed victims, who had tracked him down, and that he would only be released after his mother paid a ransom.
To add authenticity to the ruse, Zixiang inflicted injuries on himself, hitting his left arm and body with a plastic chair. He made the call to his mother during the early hours of January 7, demanding S$200,000 and sending photos of his injuries as proof.
When Zixiang’s mother revealed that she did not have the requested sum, he inflicted more injuries upon himself, specifically targeting his already injured left arm, causing it to swell. At this point, Zixiang requested Jaivin to convey a message to his mother on his behalf.
Zixiang also instructed Jaivin and Shijie to impersonate his kidnappers during conversations with his mother, using vulgar language and pretending to be growing impatient to pressure her into making an immediate transfer of the money.
However, the plan took an unexpected turn when Zixiang reduced the demanded amount to S$20,000, and his mother only transferred S$1,000. Realizing the scheme was unraveling, Zixiang decided to return home.
To his shock, he discovered that his mother had already alerted the police, and officers were waiting at his residence. The audacious plot had come to light, leading to the arrest of Zixiang and the subsequent legal proceedings against Jaivin.
