On 6 June 1974, Detective Sergeant Anthony Low of the Singapore Police Force’s Criminal Investigation Department took on a hostage case involving a female victim. He found himself face-to-face with Gia Kang, a secret society member he’d arrested twice before. Mr Low describes how he fought for his life against the gunman.
Going into roll-call that Thursday morning, I didn’t know that my life would be changed forever.
I was in the office of the Criminal Investigation Department when one of the other officers came in. “A lady who works in a finance company along Alexandra Road is being held hostage by a Chinese man,” he said. “Go check it out.”
He passed me the car plate number to look out for. I readied two other officers and we left immediately. Arriving at the scene, I saw a lady come out of the car. She was alone. I identified her as the victim and quickly caught up with her, signalling to my colleagues to prepare for an ambush.
I followed the lady to her office where she explained that the gunman had held her at gunpoint and demanded that she hand over $20,000. As she didn’t have enough cash, he’d forced her to withdraw the remaining amount from a bank at Orchard Road.
As she hurriedly described the situation, a Chinese man slammed open the office door. He was wearing a singlet, a pair of shorts and slippers. We locked eyes for a moment before he took off running.
I recognised who he was. It was Gia Kang, a member of a secret society. I’d arrested him twice before and he’d just been released after six years in prison. The only thing that caught me off guard was that I didn't expect to see him again so soon.
Without wasting a second, I was hot on his tail. But as he rounded a corner, I lost sight of him.
I checked my surroundings. We were at Block 148 Alexandra Road. This was the only building in sight, so he must have gone in to hide.
I searched each floor, sweeping through each unit. I was alone. I tried to convince myself that nothing too bad would happen. Gia Kang had been easy to manage during his sentencing, so he might just surrender himself once I caught him.
As I reached the landing of the thirteenth floor, a huge force smashed the back of my head. It was Gia Kang; he was barefoot and had charged at me from behind.
Before I could react, Gia Kang snatched my service revolver and held me at gunpoint. Then he wrapped one arm around me tight and pummelled my head with my revolver. Whilst I struggled to get out of his grip, he taunted me repeatedly, asking if I was, “afraid to die.”
Sensing that I couldn’t react too aggressively, I took a soft approach. But Gia Kang wasn’t having any of it, and said, “Today is my day or yours. Either you or me.”
I knew that my life was in grave danger. This version of Gia Kang was one that I’d never seen before; he meant business. The odds were stacked against me and the only thing I could do was to try to escape.
I suggested we take the lift to the ground floor – there was a slim chance for me to escape when the lift doors opened. Gia Kang flatly refused and insisted on taking the stairs. Now I had to find another way out.
Gia Kang shoved me down the stairs. Every attempt to snatch back my revolver was met with another blow to my head. I concealed my pain and kept a lookout for an opportunity to repossess my revolver. I needed to find a way out; there were no second chances.
Just before we reached the ground floor, I saw an opening. I grabbed hold of the chamber of my revolver, locking Gia Kang’s fingers in place so he couldn’t open fire. Then I twisted his fingers with all my might.
Gia Kang jumped backwards in pain, allowing me to get out of his grip and regain my revolver. In that split second, he pulled out his own gun.
Without a second thought, I fired three shots at him. Gia Kang died on the spot.
In June 1975, SGT Low received the Police Gallantry Medal from President Benjamin Sheares. PHOTO: SPF
In the days that followed, I felt relieved to have made it out alive. I had a duty to perform – to keep Singapore safe and secure. When I was an officer, my grandmother would pray every day by the window for my safety, and I was lucky to have had a narrow escape from death.
It’s been 47 years, but I still remember the horror of that day. I continue to pray daily, just as my grandmother did. I pray for my loved ones, for Singapore and for everyone around the world. I’ve learnt to never take our safety for granted.
Mr Low’s name is among those inscribed on SPF’s Roll of Honour. PHOTOS: Joash Tan
The gun recovered from Gia Kang was identified to have been used in three murders. Mr Low served with SPF for 40 years until 2002 before becoming a Senior Employment Inspector with the Ministry of Manpower. He is now retired.
Commemorating 200 Years of the Singapore Police Force: The Singapore Police Bicentennial 2020 Medal
The Singapore Police Bicentennial 2020 Medal will be awarded to Singapore Police Force (SPF) officers following a Parliamentary Motion by Mr Christopher De Souza on 3 August 2021 to commemorate 200 years of the SPF.
The Singapore Police Bicentennial 2020 Medal honours the important contributions of the SPF to Singapore over the last 200 years and accords recognition to SPF officers for their service to the nation.
The Medal will be awarded to SPF officers who were in service for any period between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2020. This includes regular Police officers, Full-time National Servicemen, Operationally Ready National Servicemen and Volunteer Special Constabulary officers.
A Medallion will also be awarded to former Police officers who had retired or completed their National Service liabilities before 1 January 2020. This Medallion will also be given to civilian officers who were in service with the SPF in 2020, as well as the families of officers who had died in the line of duty.
Read the Response Speech by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, at the Parliamentary Debate on the Motion "Commemorating 200 Years of the Singapore Police Force."
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