Pi Jiapeng and Pansuk Siriwipa were on the run for over three weeks and were suspected to be hiding in Thailand
Social media has been abuzz lately after a Singapore couple went missing while being investigated for allegedly not delivering luxury goods that were worth at least SG$32 million to their customers.
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Singaporean Pi Jiapeng, 26, and Thai national Pansuk Siriwipa, 27, owned the companies, Tradenation and Tradeluxury, and allegedly accepted advance payments for luxury watches or luxury bags and then failed to deliver the items.
At least 180 reports have been lodged since June against them, according to the police on July 19.
Curious (or even bewildered) about how the couple managed to carry out this scheme and even fled the country? We detail everything you need to know about the scam below.
1. How did the scam start?
The entire story behind Pi and Pansuk began in 2019 when the couple met on the dating app, Tinder. Things began to move fast and within a week, Pansuk allegedly began paying off Pi’s gambling debts.
Towards the end of 2020, they moved into a condominium in Bukit Timah with Pi’s mother and they got married shortly after.
In April 2021, the pair decided to start their companies, Tradenation and Tradeluxury, to trade in luxury goods. The companies did well enough for the pair to be able to move into a landed property near Holland Grove by October 2021.
Tradenation, in particular, was being promoted by Instagram influencers and had many reviews on Carousell as well as a physical store, according to buyers.
In April 2022, Tradenation was registered with the Ministry of Law as a precious stones and precious metals dealer as there was no suspicious activity as yet.
