Arrest warrants have been issued for Singaporean Pi Jiapeng and Thai national Siriwipa Pansuk, who are on the run.
Pi Jiapeng and Siriwipa Pansuk have gone on the run. (Photo: Instagram/Siriwipa Pansuk)
SINGAPORE: A couple who are allegedly involved in a luxury goods scam that saw dozens of people lose millions of dollars have been on the run for more than three weeks.
Arrest warrants and Interpol notices have been issued for the 26-year-old Singaporean Pi Jiapeng and his 27-year-old wife, Thai national Siriwipa Pansuk.
At least 180 reports have been made to the police about the scam involving two companies – Tradenation and Tradeluxury.
While some media reports said the total value of the undelivered luxury watches and bags was S$32 million, CNA understands that victims who made police reports have not received goods worth at least S$20 million as of Jul 17.
2021: Victims contact Pi and Pansuk about luxury watches and bags, making advance payments of thousands of dollars for the products.
Some buyers told CNA that they had seen Instagram influencers promoting the company, which had many reviews on Carousell and a physical store.
Pi and Pansuk befriend some victims, taking them out for meals in restaurants and inviting them to their home.
The victims allege that the duo started making excuses for not delivering on the orders.
April 2022: Tradenation is registered as a precious stones and metals dealer with the Ministry of Law.
Registered dealers are regulated under the Registrar of Regulated Dealers for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism purposes.
June 2022: Police receive reports about the companies and about Pi and Pansuk. Some people put up adverts on Carousell warning against Tradenation. One couple told CNA they lost about S$180,000 while another lost about S$20,000.
Jun 27, 2022: Pi is arrested by police for his suspected involvement in cheating offences. His passport is impounded.
Jun 29, 2022: Pi is released on bail.
Jun 30, 2022: Pansuk surrenders her passport to police officers. She was assisting with investigations, police later said.
The couple subsequently becomes uncontactable.
Jul 4, 2022: Pi and Pansuk allegedly leave Singapore by hiding in the container compartment of a Malaysia-registered lorry.
Jul 13, 2022: Lorry driver Mohamed Alias, 40, is arrested for helping Pi and Pansuk leave the country illegally.
Jul 15, 2022: Alias is charged with helping Pansuk to leave the country.
Jul 20, 2022: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) releases the names of the couple. Police confirm that arrest warrants and Interpol red notices have been issued against Pi and Pansuk.
At least 180 reports involving Tradenation and Tradeluxury have been made since June, said the police.
According to Interpol, red notices are issued for fugitives wanted either for prosecution or to serve a sentence. It is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person, pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action.
SPF also confirms that it is working with foreign law enforcement agencies to trace the couple and the criminal proceeds.
The Law Ministry says it has suspended Tradenation’s registration due to ongoing police investigations.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) confirms that the couple fled the country by hiding in the container compartment of a lorry.
Jul 21, 2022: Pi and Pansuk are listed on Interpol's red notice website. Details show that Pi was born in Fujian, China, while Pansuk is from Roi Et, a province in central northeastern Thailand.
Jul 22, 2022: The lorry driver Alias is charged with helping Pi to leave Singapore illegally.
He allegedly drove the vehicle hiding the couple on Jul 4, at about 7.25pm at Tuas Checkpoint's departure cargo section.
The penalty for this offence is a jail term of between six months and two years, and a fine of up to S$6,000.
Jul 24, 2022: In a statement, ICA says all vehicles entering Singapore’s land checkpoints are checked by immigration officers, but doing the same for every outgoing vehicle would have a significant impact on trade and travel.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 200,000 travellers departed through land checkpoints daily.
ICA added that it calibrated departure checks based on Singapore's prevailing security posture.
"For example, enhanced checks will be conducted on departing conveyances in the aftermath of major security incidents to prevent the perpetrators from leaving Singapore," says the authority.
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