Chua Ser Lien (蔡思连 Caì Sīlián; c. 1961 – 8 July 2020) was a Singaporean who, together with his accomplice Tan Ping Koon, kidnapped a seven-year-old girl during Christmas Day of 2003.

In July 2020, after 17 years behind bars, Chua, who had bipolar disorder, attempted suicide and fell off the railing during yard time at Changi Prison (where he served his sentence), and he died on the same day of his fall.

In early December 2003, 42-year-old Chua, who was stressed by his financial problems, met up with his 35-year-old friend Tan Ping Koon (陈平坤 Chén Píngkūn), who was a self-employed transport manager to talk about his debts.

Similarly, at that time, Tan himself was also troubled by his precarious financial situation and debts amounting to half a million dollars, and his wife had left him and his nine-year-old daughter to live in separation.

In fact, they planned to call the kidnapping off if they won the weekly lottery based on two numbers they selected as their false registration plates for their getaway car, but they did not.

[15] Chua, who covered his face with a mask, alighted the car, and he swiftly entered the house, where the family was busy preparing for a party to celebrate Christmas.

The girl's two brothers, who were playing electronic games, happened to witness the abduction of their sister and quickly informed their mother, who called the police.

[20][21] The police tailed both Chua and Tan, who both collected the ransom at the pick-up point, and not knowing that they were followed, the men went to Tampines to have lunch at a coffee shop.

Both men were charged in court with kidnapping for ransom on 29 December 2003; if found guilty of such a crime, Chua and Tan faced either life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Just four months earlier, a 45-year-old jobless Singaporean named Selvaraju Satippan abducted two women - MediaCorp journalist Nina Elizabeth Varghese and her maid - for ransom, and even tried to kill the hostages.

Selvaraju was arrested, charged and sentenced to life imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane for abduction, attempted murder, causing hurt and arson.

[25] On 6 September 2004, Chua Ser Lien and Tan Ping Koon stood trial at the High Court for the abduction of the seven-year-old girl and extortion.

Justice Tay also pointed out that while the men did release the girl shortly after the abduction, they did it not out of a change of heart but due to their "sheer hard luck", and they tried to extort money from the family under threats of their safety despite the failure.

"[34] In view of the mitigating factors, the psychiatric conditions of the men and the lack of harm to the girl, as well as absence of weapons used during the kidnapping, Justice Tay concluded that the death penalty was inappropriate, and thus imposed the minimum sentences of life imprisonment on both Chua and Tan.

He also commended the police for having swiftly arrested the kidnappers and enabled the conclusion of the investigations within a short time with their meticulous efforts and hard work.

[9][35] Before they were led away to Changi Prison to serve their sentences, Tan was allowed to speak to his daughter and younger sister, while Chua, who had only one relative attending the hearing, remained silent and calm during and after the delivery of the verdict.

[36] When she was interviewed, Tan's estranged wife commented that had her husband not been addicted to gambling in the first place, he would not have ended up getting riddled with huge debts and spending his whole life in prison.

[5] According to Chua's mother, her son continually expressed remorse for his crime and the trauma he inflicted on the seven-year-old girl, and he felt sorry for causing much hardship and distress to his family.

As a result of the fall, Chua, who sustained a head injury, could not be revived despite efforts by officers to resuscitate him, and he died at Changi General Hospital at 10.15 am.

[42] On 22 December 2020, nearly 17 years after the kidnapping, a coroner's inquiry found no indication of foul play or negligence on the part of the prison officers and ruled Chua's death as suicide after a five-month investigation.