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BEFORE you go hunting for wanted fugitives, here are some words of caution from criminal lawyer and former police officer Luke Lee.
Although bounty hunters need not inform authorities here, or overseas, of their activities, they should make sure the fugitive is also wanted by the authorities in that country.
If not, it can result in wrongful detention and abduction.
Laws in many countries do not permit bounty hunting and would consider the capture of any fugitive 'kidnapping'. Bounty hunters have also been arrested for killing a fugitive or catching the wrong person.
They have no legal protection against injuries to non-fugitives and can be sued.
In Mas Selamat's case, he is such a highly wanted terrorist in this region, that there is unlikely to be an issue over his capture, Mr Lee said.
The safest way to ensure that you stay out of trouble with the law is to just relay any information about Mas Selamat to the authorities, he added.
Still keen to be a bounty hunter? Here are some tips from professional bounty hunter Warren Levicoff (right).
The American, 63, told The New Paper that he has been hunting down bail-skippers for 46 years, even tracking them to other countries.
1. PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR SIZE
There is a risk factor in chasing bad guys, so take on jobs that you think you are capable of doing.
2. GET DIRTY
Be prepared to look through trash to search for telephone bills, bank accounts or whatever smells fishy.
Talk to anyone - from primary school friends to postmen - who may know the person you are tracking down.
3. SPEAK A DIFFERENT TONGUE
Mr Levicoff, who speaks Mandarin and has taken on jobs in Peru, South America, Africa and Egypt, says knowing another language can be helpful.
4. LOOK BEYOND SINGAPORE
The probability that Mas Selamat is still in Singapore is not high, especially since Malaysia and Indonesia are so close that one could even swim across.
This article was first published in The New Paper on July 26.
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