An elderly man, aged 67, who had been generously giving Vietnamese masseuse gifts for a month, now seeks reimbursement after the woman severed ties with him. The man asserted that he had presented her with gifts totaling over S$3,000, including gold jewellery, cosmetics, and bird’s nest products. In his police report, he specified that he only wished to recover S$1,500, according to Shin Min Daily News.
Child sick, house sick, cow sick
According to the man, whose surname is Li, he initially encountered the 40-year-old masseuse at a massage parlour near his residence in Ang Mo Kio. This encounter took place in March 2023, while he was seeking relief for a bone spur in his back. Upon discovering that the masseuse had a sick child in her hometown, he sympathized with her plight. Communication between them relied on software translation due to her limited Mandarin proficiency. Subsequently, Li frequented the massage parlour nearly every day between March and April 2023.
Over the course of their interactions, Li disclosed that he bestowed various items upon the masseuse, including gold jewellery, lipstick, perfume, and bird’s nest products. He also gifted her a cherished bracelet that he had purchased in Thailand and worn for close to two decades.
Even tried to borrow $10k
However, their rapport suddenly soured, with the masseuse beginning to ignore him and even refusing to provide him with services. At this point, Li realized that he had been deceived and sought the return of S$1,500, which he claimed was only half the value of the gifts.
In addition to the gifts, Li shared with Shin Min Daily News that he had lent the masseuse S$2,000 and S$500 on two separate occasions, as she had claimed her child was ill. Although she attempted to borrow S$10,000 from him to establish a massage parlour in Vietnam, Li declined her request. Eventually, the owner of the massage parlour assisted in repaying the loans.
When interviewed by Shin Min, the masseuse refuted Li’s allegations, asserting that she had never solicited the gifts and that Li had imposed them upon her. She mentioned that the ring and earrings he had given her were inconspicuous, and she hadn’t paid them much attention. The 40-year-old also maintained that she had unintentionally misplaced the items and, as she sent her entire salary back to Vietnam, she couldn’t refund any money to Li.
Made him drink some “bewitching” tea
Regarding the allegations of “bewitching tea,” the masseuse denied having drugged Li and clarified that she had served him medicinal herbal tea provided by her mother. Although she acknowledged that Li treated her kindly, she emphasized that the tea had no manipulative effects.
The masseuse ceased contact with Li due to his persistent “harassment.” She explained that, as she had recently arrived in Singapore, they had maintained a cordial relationship since he was a customer. However, matters escalated when he began visiting her daily and expressed his desire to marry her. She rebuffed his advances, which angered him. Despite her attempts to dissuade him and highlight their respective familial obligations, he persisted. Consequently, she decided to sever all ties with him.