A 72-year-old Singaporean man who was kidnapped in Kedah, Malaysia, was rescued by the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) on August 7, 2026, following a kidnapping on July 26, when he traveled to Malaysia alone. Two foreign suspects were killed and six suspects, including five Chinese nationals and one Malaysian, were arrested in the operation [1, 2, 3].
The family of the 72-year-old first received ransom demands and alerts about the kidnapping on August 4, prompting them to notify the Singapore Police Force (SPF) [1, 2, 3]. Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Julius Lim said, "This operation is a reflection of the strong and longstanding partnership between the SPF and RMP, and our shared commitment to keep our communities safe" [2].
Separately, a 32-year-old Singaporean fugitive and his 28-year-old girlfriend were kidnapped in Johor Bahru. The man had entered Malaysia illegally around May 2026, while his girlfriend entered legally [4, 5, 6, 7]. The kidnappers initially demanded S$80,000 but later negotiated down to S$25,000 [5, 6, 7]. The kidnappers slashed the man’s thighs and sent graphic photos to his mother as proof, who filed a police report on August 10 [4, 5, 6].
The couple was rescued on August 11 near a supermarket in Nusa Bestari, Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia, during a ransom exchange operation [4, 5, 8, 6, 7]. Six Malaysians, including the kidnapping syndicate’s alleged mastermind, were arrested. Five had past criminal records and four tested positive for drugs. Police seized ransom money, mobile phones, a Rolex watch, a gold chain, a car, and house keys from linked raids [4, 5, 6, 7]. Datuk M. Kumar, Bukit Aman CID director, said, "We believe we have arrested the mastermind and dismantled the group" [5].
Both kidnapped Singaporeans tested positive for methamphetamine and remain in police custody in Malaysia [5, 6]. The 72-year-old was kidnapped in Kedah, while the younger couple incident occurred in Johor. The police operations resulted in 12 arrests overall, with two suspects killed during the Kedah rescue [1, 3, 4, 5].
