A 30-year-old Singaporean man was paid S$1,000 to assault a stranger in a Toa Payoh lift after being recruited by a secret society member to carry out the attack.
Lu Zhong Cheng was sentenced to about 21 months in jail after being convicted of four charges on September 2, 2026. Three other charges were also taken into consideration during sentencing.
The assault was carried out in September 2025, when Lu was 29. The victim, a 51-year-old man, suffered a fractured right ankle during the confrontation.
Paid S$1,000 to beat up an ‘enemy’
According to court documents, a secret society member described as Lu’s “boss” approached him in September 2025 with an offer to carry out an assault.
The “boss” had allegedly agreed with another secret society member to find someone to attack an “enemy”, according to Shin Min Daily News.
Lu, who was reportedly short of money at the time, agreed to the job despite not knowing what had caused the dispute.
On September 2, the “boss” sent Lu a photograph of the intended victim, together with his vehicle’s registration number and details of his home and workplace.
The following day, the pair met in person. Lu was allegedly instructed to beat the man until he bled and take photographs of his injuries as evidence that the job had been completed.
Staked out victim’s block for two days
Lu subsequently went to the victim’s residential block on September 3 and waited from about 4pm to 9pm.
However, the victim did not return home that evening.
Lu came back the following day and resumed watching the block from around 2pm.
At approximately 5.30pm, the victim returned from work and entered the lift at Block 130B Lorong 1 Toa Payoh.
Lu entered the lift with him.
Once the lift doors closed, Lu punched the victim twice in the face.
The victim fought back, leading to a struggle inside the confined space. During the confrontation, Lu pushed the victim to the ground and subsequently fell on top of him.
The victim suffered a fractured right ankle as a result.
Lu then photographed the injuries before leaving the scene. He later collected the S$1,000 payment.
The injured man reported the assault to police and received treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He was subsequently given 14 days of medical leave.
The assault was captured by the lift’s CCTV system, with prosecutors showing the footage in court during Lu’s hearing on September 2.
Lu received seven months’ imprisonment and a S$1,000 fine for the assault.
Allowed bank account to be used for criminal proceeds
The assault was not the only offence before the court.
In September 2025, Lu also allowed his DBS bank account to be used to transfer and withdraw criminal proceeds.
Court documents stated that he knew the person using the account was involved in criminal activity.
He was sentenced to a further 12 months in jail for the offence.
Drove without licence while on remission
Lu also faced traffic-related offences dating back to November 2023.
On November 27 that year, he ran a red light at the junction of Corporation Road and Jurong West Avenue 1.
During investigations, Lu admitted that he had been driving a borrowed vehicle without a valid driving licence.
He had previously been convicted of a similar offence in 2018.
The traffic offences were committed while Lu was serving a remission period, which ran from November 15, 2023 to March 4, 2024.
This resulted in additional imprisonment being imposed as part of his overall sentence.
About 21 months in jail
Taking the various offences into account, Lu was sentenced to approximately 21 months’ imprisonment.
He also received an additional 20 days for committing offences while on remission.
In addition, he was fined S$1,000 and given a 36-month driving disqualification, which will take effect from the date of his release.
The sentences took effect from September 5, 2025.