Lim Ban Lim (simplified Chinese: 林万霖; traditional Chinese: 林萬霖; pinyin: Lín Wànlín; c. 1940 – 24 November 1972) was a Singaporean gangster and outlaw who killed a police officer and stole at least $2.5 million before he was shot and killed at the age of 32. Lim became one of the country's most wanted fugitives after shooting and wounding a police officer during an altercation in May 1965. After shooting dead another police officer in July 1968, Lim fled the country, with local authorities offering a $17,000 bounty in their search for him. He evaded capture until 1972, when he returned to Singapore and was killed by the Singapore Police Force.
Lim was born and raised in Lorong Tai Seng (大成巷) in Paya Lebar, Singapore.[1] The third of twelve children, he was a son of a fisherman.[2] He attended Fengshan Primary School but did not complete his primary education. Before embarking on a criminal career, Lim was at different times a hawker, construction worker, and handyman.[3]
Criminal career
Corporal Koh Chong Thye, who was shot and killed by Lim Ban Lim.
Lim was a member of the Gi Ho secret society who was involved in several misdemeanors from as early as 1958.[4] He was reportedly trained as a shooter in the Riau Islands.[5] He first attained notoriety in 1963, when he and three other gunmen ambushed the printing division of The Straits Times at Anson Road and stole $30,000 in an armed robbery.[4] The same year, he stole $11,000 from the Singapore Steam Laundry.[6] In 1966, Lim robbed the First National City Bank in Collyer Quay of $156,000, marking his most lucrative robbery in Singapore. In August 1968, together with five accomplices, Lim robbed the State Treasury in Johor, Malaysia of $452,000, killing a constable in the process. On 4 October 1972, Lim was involved in the robbery of the Atlas Electronics factory in Lower Delta Road and made away with $62,000.[7] In his nine-year reign as a robber active in both Singapore and Malaysia, Lim amassed a revenue of at least $2.5 million.[4]
In May 1965, Lim became one of Singapore's most wanted fugitives after an altercation with Detective Peter Lim in Paya Lebar; the police officer had accosted Lim, who then snatched away his revolver, which fired and wounded Peter Lim. Lim later mailed the revolver to a newspaper editor, appending a letter which stated, "As a measure of self defence, I took the revolver and ran away. I could have shot at the detective while he was down but what for?"[1] In September 1966, he shot and wounded in the leg Detective Allan Lee at the Odeon Cinema in North Bridge Road.[1][4] A $2,000 bounty was announced by authorities in October 1966.[8]
On 23 June 1968, Lim shot and killed 27-year-old Corporal Koh Chong Thye with a semi-automatic pistol; Koh and two other police officers had been in pursuit of Lim after he was spotted in Serangoon. Koh, who was married with two children when he died, suffered gunshots to the chest and face and a fatal one through the forehead.[4] The two other officers gave chase but Lim escaped and went into hiding, reportedly finding safe haven in the nearby countries of Indonesia, Thailand, and China. A nation-wide manhunt was announced by the Singapore Police Force, whose Criminal Investigation Department began organising more raids in the hopes of capturing Lim.[4] An initial reward of $5,000 was also offered. The bounty was raised to $10,000 in March 1969 and a record $17,000 by November 1972.[2][4]
Personal life
Reportedly 1.65 metres (5 ft 5 in) tall and of Hokkien descent, Lim was an ambidextrous shooter. To disguise himself, he reportedly cross-dressed and underwent plastic surgery. He went by many aliases, including Tua Hong Li,[6] Tau Hong Lim,[a] Seow Lim, Ah Seow, Suay Kia, Oei Kia, Ah Oei, Jipun Kai,[b] and Botak.[4][8][11] He married his childhood sweetheart, a "Madam Yeo",[10] in 1956 when he was aged 16.[4][2] They had three daughters and two sons.[4] After his death in 1972, Lim's family claimed that they had not seen him in some seven years.[12] In December 1977, Lim's brother Ah Tee (born c. 1952) sustained serious injuries after being stabbed in the thigh and head by a mob of ten youths. Four of his friends were injured too. Another of Lim's siblings, Ah Lek, speculated that Ah Tee was attacked for his affiliation with Lim.[13]
Death
Lim had previously boasted to the police over the telephone: "You will never catch me. When you are about to arrest me, I will surely engage you in a gunfight. I will use the last bullet to end my life, so you can only collect my body."[4] In November 1972, Lim returned to Singapore with his right-hand man Chua Ah Kow.[c] At the time, he was the most wanted fugitive in Singapore. On 24 November, Lim and Chua visited the pasar malam at Margaret Drive in Queenstown.[4] Officers from the Rural West Division of the Singapore Police Force already had intelligence on their whereabouts. At about 8:15 pm local time, they were spotted by a team of six police officers lying in wait.[4] The team was led by Deputy Superintendent Henry Edwards of Bukit Panjang Police Station.[14] Lim attempted to escape by separating from Chua but was shot and killed by the police. Lim suffered three gunshots to the body and reportedly staggered for some 10 metres (33 ft) before dying with his revolver on his left hand. He was aged 32.[4]
Although authorities were initially uncertain if the deceased was Lim, as he had changed his hairstyle and put on weight, he was positively identified by his fingerprints.[2] A revolver, thirteen bullets, $1.40 in cash, as well as a stolen identity card belonging to a 30-year-old Lim Kian Hua, were among his possessions found on him when he died.[10] An unnamed police officer was also killed during the shootout.[15] Detective Chow Kim Loo was later publicly identified as the officer who fired the fatal shot that hit Lim in the neck.[14] Chua managed to evade capture that night but committed suicide during a shootout with the police three weeks later at Tank Road on 17 December 1972.[4]
Aftermath
On 25 November 1972, 33 inmates escaped from the Ulu Bedok Reformative Training Centre.[16] They had reportedly escaped to attend Lim's funeral,[4] although the recaptured inmates later denied this by claiming that they were simply unsatisfied with the living conditions in the centre.[16] Lim was buried on 28 November 1972 at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery.[2] Following Lim's death, the Arms Offences Act was enacted in 1973, making the use or attempted use of firearms to cause harm punishable by death.[17] Lim was reportedly the first criminal in Singapore to have evaded justice by undergoing plastic surgery; a second case was reported in November 1981.[18]
Singaporean serial killer Sek Kim Wah, who was charged with killing three victims during an armed robbery at Andrew Road and two more at Seletar Road in 1983, had once mentioned to a witness in his trial that he wanted to be better than Lim Ban Lim. Sek was indicted for all five murders but was only convicted of the triple killings at Andrew Road and given the death sentence in August 1985. After losing his appeal against his sentence in March 1987, Sek was hanged at dawn in Changi Prison on 9 December 1988.[19]
^ abcdWee, Beng Huat (13 July 1972). "Still No. 1 on the wanted list". New Nation. p. 2.
^ abcdeWee, Beng Huat (29 November 1972). "Killer's death means new Top Ten chart for the CID". New Nation. p. 1.
^"又是千面大盗忌日 林万霖伏诛14年家人仍不忘追思". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). 21 November 1986. p. 6.
^ abcdefghijklmnop"Guilty As Charged: Lim Ban Lim was most wanted gunman in Singapore and Malaysia in 1960s". The Straits Times. 14 May 2016.
^Wee, Beng Huat (11 October 1973). "Beware their deadly draw". New Nation. p. 7.
^ ab"The night police shot 'most wanted' Lim". The Straits Times. 23 December 1979. p. 7.
^ abSidhu, K. S. (19 December 1972). "Shot gunman died by own hand...". The Straits Times. p. 10.
^ ab"$2,000 reward for fugitive gunman". The Straits Times. 12 October 1966. p. 11.
^"'You can only collect my body'". The New Paper. 14 May 2007. p. 4.
^ abcSidhu, K. S. (26 November 1972). "Shot gangster stole $2.5m". The Straits Times. p. 1.
^"Mystery man: I got clue to murder". The Straits Times. 24 July 1968. p. 4.
^Wee, Beng Huat (19 December 1972). "Dead duo leave $62,000 poser". New Nation. p. 1.
^Jansen, Paul (29 December 1977). "Youths stab brother of gunman". The Straits Times. p. 25.
^ abChua, Maureen (19 December 1972). "Detective tells of his lucky escape in street gunfight". The Straits Times. p. 15.
^"Setia dan Bakti". Singapore Police Force. p. 41. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
^ abSidhu, K. S. (28 November 1972). "The big escape: 25 still free...". The Straits Times. p. 1.
^"The criminal who came back from Macau with brand new face". The Straits Times. 23 December 1979. p. 7.
^"Gunman on the run gets new face?". The Straits Times. 30 November 1981. p. 7.
^Baker, Jalelah Abu (15 May 2016). "Guilty As Charged: Serial murderer Sek Kim Wah found it 'thrilling' to strangle victims". The Straits Times. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
December 26, 2022
this, chinese, name, family, name, simplified, chinese, 林万霖, traditional, chinese, 林萬霖, pinyin, lín, wànlín, 1940, november, 1972, singaporean, gangster, outlaw, killed, police, officer, stole, least, million, before, shot, killed, became, country, most, wante. In this Chinese name the family name is Lim Lim Ban Lim simplified Chinese 林万霖 traditional Chinese 林萬霖 pinyin Lin Wanlin c 1940 24 November 1972 was a Singaporean gangster and outlaw who killed a police officer and stole at least 2 5 million before he was shot and killed at the age of 32 Lim became one of the country s most wanted fugitives after shooting and wounding a police officer during an altercation in May 1965 After shooting dead another police officer in July 1968 Lim fled the country with local authorities offering a 17 000 bounty in their search for him He evaded capture until 1972 when he returned to Singapore and was killed by the Singapore Police Force Lim Ban LimBornc 1940Paya Lebar SingaporeDied24 November 1972 aged 32 Queenstown SingaporeOther namesTua Hong LiTau Hong LimSeow LimAh SeowSuay KiaOei KiaAh OeiJipun KaiBotakOccupationGangsterKnown forOne of Singapore s most wanted fugitives in the 1960sSpouseMadam Yeo m 1956 wbr Children5AllegianceGi Ho Contents 1 Early life 2 Criminal career 3 Personal life 4 Death 5 Aftermath 6 References 6 1 Notes 6 2 CitationsEarly life EditLim was born and raised in Lorong Tai Seng 大成巷 in Paya Lebar Singapore 1 The third of twelve children he was a son of a fisherman 2 He attended Fengshan Primary School but did not complete his primary education Before embarking on a criminal career Lim was at different times a hawker construction worker and handyman 3 Criminal career Edit Corporal Koh Chong Thye who was shot and killed by Lim Ban Lim Lim was a member of the Gi Ho secret society who was involved in several misdemeanors from as early as 1958 4 He was reportedly trained as a shooter in the Riau Islands 5 He first attained notoriety in 1963 when he and three other gunmen ambushed the printing division of The Straits Times at Anson Road and stole 30 000 in an armed robbery 4 The same year he stole 11 000 from the Singapore Steam Laundry 6 In 1966 Lim robbed the First National City Bank in Collyer Quay of 156 000 marking his most lucrative robbery in Singapore In August 1968 together with five accomplices Lim robbed the State Treasury in Johor Malaysia of 452 000 killing a constable in the process On 4 October 1972 Lim was involved in the robbery of the Atlas Electronics factory in Lower Delta Road and made away with 62 000 7 In his nine year reign as a robber active in both Singapore and Malaysia Lim amassed a revenue of at least 2 5 million 4 In May 1965 Lim became one of Singapore s most wanted fugitives after an altercation with Detective Peter Lim in Paya Lebar the police officer had accosted Lim who then snatched away his revolver which fired and wounded Peter Lim Lim later mailed the revolver to a newspaper editor appending a letter which stated As a measure of self defence I took the revolver and ran away I could have shot at the detective while he was down but what for 1 In September 1966 he shot and wounded in the leg Detective Allan Lee at the Odeon Cinema in North Bridge Road 1 4 A 2 000 bounty was announced by authorities in October 1966 8 On 23 June 1968 Lim shot and killed 27 year old Corporal Koh Chong Thye with a semi automatic pistol Koh and two other police officers had been in pursuit of Lim after he was spotted in Serangoon Koh who was married with two children when he died suffered gunshots to the chest and face and a fatal one through the forehead 4 The two other officers gave chase but Lim escaped and went into hiding reportedly finding safe haven in the nearby countries of Indonesia Thailand and China A nation wide manhunt was announced by the Singapore Police Force whose Criminal Investigation Department began organising more raids in the hopes of capturing Lim 4 An initial reward of 5 000 was also offered The bounty was raised to 10 000 in March 1969 and a record 17 000 by November 1972 2 4 Personal life EditReportedly 1 65 metres 5 ft 5 in tall and of Hokkien descent Lim was an ambidextrous shooter To disguise himself he reportedly cross dressed and underwent plastic surgery He went by many aliases including Tua Hong Li 6 Tau Hong Lim a Seow Lim Ah Seow Suay Kia Oei Kia Ah Oei Jipun Kai b and Botak 4 8 11 He married his childhood sweetheart a Madam Yeo 10 in 1956 when he was aged 16 4 2 They had three daughters and two sons 4 After his death in 1972 Lim s family claimed that they had not seen him in some seven years 12 In December 1977 Lim s brother Ah Tee born c 1952 sustained serious injuries after being stabbed in the thigh and head by a mob of ten youths Four of his friends were injured too Another of Lim s siblings Ah Lek speculated that Ah Tee was attacked for his affiliation with Lim 13 Death EditLim had previously boasted to the police over the telephone You will never catch me When you are about to arrest me I will surely engage you in a gunfight I will use the last bullet to end my life so you can only collect my body 4 In November 1972 Lim returned to Singapore with his right hand man Chua Ah Kow c At the time he was the most wanted fugitive in Singapore On 24 November Lim and Chua visited the pasar malam at Margaret Drive in Queenstown 4 Officers from the Rural West Division of the Singapore Police Force already had intelligence on their whereabouts At about 8 15 pm local time they were spotted by a team of six police officers lying in wait 4 The team was led by Deputy Superintendent Henry Edwards of Bukit Panjang Police Station 14 Lim attempted to escape by separating from Chua but was shot and killed by the police Lim suffered three gunshots to the body and reportedly staggered for some 10 metres 33 ft before dying with his revolver on his left hand He was aged 32 4 Although authorities were initially uncertain if the deceased was Lim as he had changed his hairstyle and put on weight he was positively identified by his fingerprints 2 A revolver thirteen bullets 1 40 in cash as well as a stolen identity card belonging to a 30 year old Lim Kian Hua were among his possessions found on him when he died 10 An unnamed police officer was also killed during the shootout 15 Detective Chow Kim Loo was later publicly identified as the officer who fired the fatal shot that hit Lim in the neck 14 Chua managed to evade capture that night but committed suicide during a shootout with the police three weeks later at Tank Road on 17 December 1972 4 Aftermath EditOn 25 November 1972 33 inmates escaped from the Ulu Bedok Reformative Training Centre 16 They had reportedly escaped to attend Lim s funeral 4 although the recaptured inmates later denied this by claiming that they were simply unsatisfied with the living conditions in the centre 16 Lim was buried on 28 November 1972 at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery 2 Following Lim s death the Arms Offences Act was enacted in 1973 making the use or attempted use of firearms to cause harm punishable by death 17 Lim was reportedly the first criminal in Singapore to have evaded justice by undergoing plastic surgery a second case was reported in November 1981 18 Singaporean serial killer Sek Kim Wah who was charged with killing three victims during an armed robbery at Andrew Road and two more at Seletar Road in 1983 had once mentioned to a witness in his trial that he wanted to be better than Lim Ban Lim Sek was indicted for all five murders but was only convicted of the triple killings at Andrew Road and given the death sentence in August 1985 After losing his appeal against his sentence in March 1987 Sek was hanged at dawn in Changi Prison on 9 December 1988 19 References EditNotes Edit Hokkien for Crazy Lim 9 Also Thau Hong Lim 1 Also Jepun Kia 10 Also Chua Ah Kau 7 Citations Edit a b c d Wee Beng Huat 13 July 1972 Still No 1 on the wanted list New Nation p 2 a b c d e Wee Beng Huat 29 November 1972 Killer s death means new Top Ten chart for the CID New Nation p 1 又是千面大盗忌日 林万霖伏诛14年家人仍不忘追思 Lianhe Zaobao in Chinese 21 November 1986 p 6 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Guilty As Charged Lim Ban Lim was most wanted gunman in Singapore and Malaysia in 1960s The Straits Times 14 May 2016 Wee Beng Huat 11 October 1973 Beware their deadly draw New Nation p 7 a b The night police shot most wanted Lim The Straits Times 23 December 1979 p 7 a b Sidhu K S 19 December 1972 Shot gunman died by own hand The Straits Times p 10 a b 2 000 reward for fugitive gunman The Straits Times 12 October 1966 p 11 You can only collect my body The New Paper 14 May 2007 p 4 a b c Sidhu K S 26 November 1972 Shot gangster stole 2 5m The Straits Times p 1 Mystery man I got clue to murder The Straits Times 24 July 1968 p 4 Wee Beng Huat 19 December 1972 Dead duo leave 62 000 poser New Nation p 1 Jansen Paul 29 December 1977 Youths stab brother of gunman The Straits Times p 25 a b Chua Maureen 19 December 1972 Detective tells of his lucky escape in street gunfight The Straits Times p 15 Setia dan Bakti Singapore Police Force p 41 Retrieved 14 May 2020 a b Sidhu K S 28 November 1972 The big escape 25 still free The Straits Times p 1 The criminal who came back from Macau with brand new face The Straits Times 23 December 1979 p 7 Gunman on the run gets new face The Straits Times 30 November 1981 p 7 Baker Jalelah Abu 15 May 2016 Guilty As Charged Serial murderer Sek Kim Wah found it thrilling to strangle victims The Straits Times Retrieved 10 January 2021 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lim Ban Lim amp oldid 1111076692, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
