SINGAPORE: Two men and two women, aged between 30 and 38, have been arrested for their suspected involvement in a case of abduction and possession of a scheduled weapon, police said on Wednesday (Aug 5).

The Singapore Police Force said in a news release it was alerted to a man being threatened by a group of people with a parang at a carpark along Canberra Street at about 1.55am on Tuesday.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim was confronted by the four persons due to a dispute over a car rental agreement, and the 38-year-old man from the group brandished a parang and threatened the victim,” police said.

The victim was then asked to sit in the front passenger seat of his vehicle and the 38-year-old man drove him to another location, while the other man, 36, sat in the rear.

Acting on information received, officers located the victim’s vehicle. When the 38-year-old man saw the police, he allegedly fled in the vehicle with the victim and the 36-year-old man as passengers.

Police gave chase, with the pursuit ending after the vehicle crashed into a lamppost at the junction of Woodlands Avenue 7 and Woodlands Avenue 10.

Following the collision, the 36-year-old man fled on foot while the 38-year-old man was arrested at the scene, with a parang recovered in his possession.

The 36-year-old man and two women, aged 30 and 38, were later separately arrested through follow-up investigations.

The 38-year-old man will be charged in court on Wednesday with abduction under the Penal Code and possession of a scheduled weapon under the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act.

If found guilty of abduction, he faces a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, caning, or any combination of these punishments.

If convicted of possession of a scheduled weapon, he can be jailed for up to five years and also receive at least six strokes of the cane, a fine of up to S$2,500, or both.

Police investigations are ongoing against the 36-year-old man and the two women.