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[4 Strings]

Re: Tax Free Hub?


Police arrest Guatemalan for housebreaking

By Jie Lan / Karen Ng | Posted: 31 October 2012 2111 hrs

SINGAPORE: A 40-year-old man, who is in Singapore as a tourist, has been arrested for housebreaking.

The man, who is from Guatemala in Central America, was caught at a budget hotel in Balestier Road on Tuesday. He then led police to a rented room in Claymore Drive, near Orchard Road.

There, police found 22 branded watches, 35 pieces of jewellery, and foreign currencies with a total value of about S$300,000.

The suspect is believed to have stolen from nine landed properties.

He will be charged in court on November 1.

Police have expressed concern with the increased number of break-ins in October 2012 in landed properties, especially in the Bukit Timah and Thomson areas.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police and Commander of Tanglin Police Division Lu Yeow Lim, said: "From this case and other similar cases we have solved in the past, we know that there are criminal gangs from overseas coming to Singapore to commit housebreaking and other offences.

"The word out there is that Singaporeans are not security-conscious and therefore easy prey. We will step up our patrol to address this. But landed property owners must do their part to protect and safeguard their own premises. This includes installing quality grills, and gridlocks."

-CNA/ac

 

[Eomer]

Myanmar national charged with providing false information to MOM

Posted: 30 October 2012 2156 hrs

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has charged a 28-year-old Myanmar national, Kyaw Swar Win, for furnishing false information to the Controller of Work Passes by submitting a forged academic certificate to obtain a work pass.

On Tuesday, Kyaw pleaded guilty to the charge in the Subordinate Courts, and was jailed four weeks.

MOM said investigations revealed that Kyaw was aware that his employment agency in Myanmar had misled the Ministry of Manpower to believe that he was a degree holder when an online application for an S pass was made for him to work as a supervisor for Leong Guan Food Manufacturer.

Kyaw was also given a copy of the forged certificate by the employment agent in Myanmar, which he submitted to MOM on April 23, 2009.

Kyaw had only received high school education in Myanmar.

For furnishing false information, Kyaw had flouted the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA). He was arrested and subsequently charged in court.

The current penalty for the offence is a fine of up to S$15,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.

In the first nine months of 2012, MOM had prosecuted 39 offenders for similar offences. Most of these offenders were jailed for up to six weeks by the court.

As part of the amendments passed in Parliament in September, the penalties under the EFMA will be enhanced to increase deterrence by the end of the year.

For example, the maximum fines for submission of forged academic certificates by foreign workers will be up to S$20,000 from the current maximum of S$15,000. Offenders may also be jailed for up to 24 months, up from the current 12 months.

-CNA/ac

 

[Terry Bogard]

Re: Man gropes her, then punches her


Immigration offender arrested for trying to leave Singapore

Posted: 02 November 2012 1627 hrs

Immigration offender hiding in storage compartment behind passenger seat. (Photo: ICA)

SINGAPORE: A 26-year-old Indian immigration offender has been caught trying to leave Singapore.

On Thursday at about 11.55pm, officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) at Woodlands Checkpoint stopped a Malaysian-registered trailer for a routine check.

The driver and his passenger, both Malaysians, were asked to step out of their vehicle to allow officers to conduct the check.

Officers had their suspicion aroused when both men appeared nervous. ICA officers found a man crouching inside the storage compartment behind the passenger seat.

The driver, passenger and the immigration offender were arrested.

The trailer has been detained and is liable for forfeiture.

Under the Immigration Act , the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.

The penalties for illegal departure is a fine of up to $2,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both.

- CNA/de

 

[Shermie]

Senior legal manager fined for stealing jewellery of landlord's wife

Published on Nov 05, 2012

Senior legal manager, Adrian Anand Ambrose, stole jewellery worth a total of $9,600 belonging to his landlord's wife while she was on holiday. On Monday, he was fined $4,000 for theft. --ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM

By Khushwant Singh

A SENIOR legal manager stole jewellery worth a total of $9,600 belonging to his landlord's wife while she was on holiday. On Monday, Adrian Anand Ambrose, 36, was fined $4,000 for theft.

A district court heard that Ambrose, a Malaysian, was renting a room in Tai Hwan Heights in Upper Serangoon from Madam Vasanta Ramakrishnan's husband. On July 12 this year, the couple left for Spain. Five days later, Ambrose went into their room looking for valuable to steal as he was in need of money. The next day, he stole the six pieces of jewellery to two pawnshops.

Upon her return on July 23, Madam Vasanta, 49, discovered that the more expensive jewellery pieces she kept in a drawer in her room were missing.

Asking the court to impose only a fine, defence counsel Anand Nalachandran said that Ambrose had handed $4,068 to Madam Vasanta as restitution for her to recover her jewellery from the pawnshops.

Read the full story in The Straits Times on Wednesday (Nov 7).

 

[khunking]

Body Parts Murder

A refrigerator that had been sealed with tape contained a grisly surprise for the new owner of a condominium unit in the posh Mont Kiara suburb, a 15-minute drive from downtown Kuala Lumpur – a body chopped into 11 pieces. The owner said he bought the unit at a bank auction. The victim, identified as Singaporean businessman Goh Yoke Seng, 39, was the previous owner of the condominium. His Sarawakian wife, Ms Nora Jawi Spreen Jawi (right), now 35, was the prime suspect when Mr Goh’s mutilated body was discovered on July 29, 2007, according to the Sin Chew Daily website. The former air stewardess was detained by Malaysian police the following day on suspicion of killing her husband but released on Sept 19 that year for lack of evidence. Click here to see latest photos of the trial » Report 1 ​ <tbody> </tbody> <tbody> </tbody> <tbody> </tbody> <tbody> </tbody> <tbody> </tbody>

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[Terry Bogard]

Toilet break turns into dirty cat fight

November 12, 2012 - 2:26am

By: Chai Hung Yin

PICTURE: Shin Min Daily News

It began as a dispute in a toilet cubicle, blew up into a full-fledged fight and ended with nine people being arrested at Lucky Chinatown.

A witness saw two groups fighting outside the mall. She also saw scratch marks on the faces of at least two women.

The brawl happened between a group of three older women and six students, believed to be in their 20s. All nine are said to be from China.

The fight erupted after one of the older women pushed open the door of a toilet cubicle and found one of the students inside.

The latch of one of the toilet doors was later found to be faulty.

 

[Orochi]

British tourists face trial after soldier killed

Nightclub where the soldier was killed.

AFP Thursday, Nov 15, 2012

NICOSIA - Three British tourists will face manslaughter charges when they go on trial in Cyprus for allegedly killing a teenage British soldier in a fight in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa, police said on Thursday.

Mohamed Abdulkadir Osman, 19, and two 17-year-old suspects who cannot be named for legal reasons appeared in court on Thursday but did not have to answer any charges.

They will be asked to enter a plea when the case goes to trial at Larnaca criminal court on January 24.

A Famagusta district court will decide on Friday whether the Britons will remain in custody or be freed on bail until the trial.

They face possible charges of manslaughter, possession of a knife and use of a class B drug.

David Lee Collins, 19, from Manchester, was stabbed to death in a nightclub confrontation with a group of British tourists on November 4.

Collins was stationed at Dhekelia garrison with the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, part of British army reserve forces for Afghanistan.

Manslaughter carries a maximum life sentence in the eastern Mediterranean island.

Police said the incident occurred when four off-duty British soldiers argued with the suspects.

The fracas is believed to have ignited over taunting related to Manchester-London regional rivalry.

During the row, one of the three allegedly stabbed the 19-year-old soldier in the chest with a knife.

Police have said that Osman had admitted to stabbing the victim but argued it was in self-defence as he and his friends were allegedly attacked by the soldiers.

Although the two 17-year-olds put themselves at the scene of the crime they say they played no part in the violence, said police.

An autopsy concluded Collins died from a "ruptured heart caused by a sharp instrument."

Police said a switchblade was recovered at the scene of the crime and 11 similar knives bought in Ayia Napa were found at the trio's hotel room.

British Forces Cyprus said the incident happened in an area out of bounds to soldiers because of previous incidents.

British soldiers have been banned from pubs and clubs at the centre of the resort since 1994 when Louise Jensen, a 23-year-old Danish tour guide, was abducted, raped and beaten to death by three British servicemen.

Ayia Napa is the island's most popular resort among young holidaymakers, especially British tourists attracted by the nightlife.

Around 9,000 British troops and their dependants are stationed on Cyprus as Britain retained two large strategic sovereign base areas after the island gained independence from colonial rule in 1960.

 

[Terry Bogard]

Masseur jailed for theft & forgery

Posted: 16 November 2012 1423 hrs

SINGAPORE: A 28-year-old Malaysian was jailed four months by a district court on Friday for theft and forgery.

Cheah Wei Yap, who worked as a masseur at a beauty and health centre at People's Park Complex, stole his former employer's cheque book and forged a cheque of S$20,000 to his name.

The offences took place sometime in April this year.

The court heard that Cheah, who is deaf and mute, would head back to the centre to meet his ex-colleagues, even though he had already stopped working there.

On one of his visits, he took the cheque book from his former employer's laptop bag, which was usually stored behind the shop counter.

Cheah then forged her signature on a cheque for S$20,000, made payable to his name, before dropping the cheque into a UOB cheque deposit box.

He then destroyed and disposed of the remaining cheques in the cheque book.

Cheah's crime came to light when the bank called his former employer to make some clarifications about the cheque.

His former employer then filed a police report.

Defence counsel Josephus Tan, who was assigned to Cheah by the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, asked the court for a compassionate sentence as Cheah was a first-time offender, with an infant daughter.

He had committed the offences due to personal and financial difficulties.

Cheah also faced a charge of housebreaking and theft by night, which the prosecution took into consideration.

After sentencing, the judge allowed Cheah a few minutes to talk to his wife and daughter.

For forgery, Cheah could have been jailed up to four years and fined, and for theft, he could have been jailed up to three years and fined.

The judge ordered Cheah's sentence to be backdated to September 26, when he was first remanded.

- CNA/xq/sf

 

[Klytus]

Re: Bedok murder-suicide: Man suspected wife of having affair


5 cleaners jailed for paid sex with 14-year-old girl

Published on Nov 20, 2012
By Khushwant Singh

AT 14 years of age, she started prostituting herself for amounts ranging from $10 to $100. Her clients were Bangladeshi cleaners and they would have sex at staircase landings in Hougang.

The girl, now 15, is now being cared for at the Pertapis Centre For Women and Girls.

Five of her clients were jailed for between 10 and 17 months today by a district court. The men, aged between 23 and 31, had pleaded guilty earlier.

Then, the court heard that the girl's parents were also cleaners and she got to know some of the Bangladeshi workers.

Jojnal Jilhaque Khalifa, 31, a foreman of a cleaning crew, paid her $12 to have sex late last year. In July this year, he had sex with the girl's 14-year-old friend for $40.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Orochi]

Bangladeshi arrested for drug trafficking

AsiaOne
Monday, Nov 26, 2012

SINGAPORE - A Bangladeshi man has been arrested for possessing cannabis.

Officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) had spotted a man who had just arrived from Dhaka on Nov 26, at about 3.30am.

He was approached and directed for routine baggage checks as he walked towards the Green Channel at Terminal 2, Arrival Hall of Changi Airport.

During the checks, officers noticed anomalies that showed up in the scanned images of a bottle stated as sun block talcum powder.

When the officers tried to pour the content out of the bottle, it did not come out readily.

Officers then made an incision at the mouth of the bottle and found some greenish substance.

The man was immediately detained and together with the seized exhibits, he was handed over to Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) for further investigations.

Preliminary tests revealed that the greenish substance found in the bottle was cannabis, weighing approximately 197g.

The man is currently being investigated for drug trafficking.

The minimum penalty for the unauthorised trafficking of cannabis would be five years' imprisonment and five strokes of the cane.

[email protected]

 

[4 Strings]

Trusted with guarding safe, duty manager steals $19,000

The New Paper
Monday, Nov 26, 2012

FOR about four months, a duty manager at the National University of Singapore Society (NUSS) raided a safe of money belonging to her employer.

She was in charge of the safe and its cash at the Kent Ridge Guild House’s jackpot room. But from mid-April to Aug 27, she helped herself to $19,000.

Filipino Catherine Galang Perez, 39, was last Friday jailed seven months for criminal breach of trust as a servant.

The NUSS safe would have $35,000 in coins (35 bags of $1,000 in $1 coins) and $5,000 in notes at the start of each work day.

At the start of the jackpot room’s morning operations, the duty manager in charge would remove $4,000 in coins and $1,000 in notes from the safe and hand these to the cashiers for their transactions with customers.

The money taken out for the day’s operations would be replenished by the jackpot administration before the start of the next work day. Perez, an employee at the Guild House since Dec 1 last year, needed money to pay for housing, her daughter’s education, and a relative’s needs.

She started misappropriating in the money in mid-April, only taking notes from the safe as they were more convenient to remove than coins.

To disguise her crime, she covered the notes with a piece of paper when she removed them.

As some notes she took had been put in the safe in exchange for coins which were then handed over to the cashiers, the coin supply in the safe would be depleted.

She tried to disguise the fewer number of coins by redistributing coins from some of the bags – 12 bags containing $1,000 each to make up 24 bags of $500 each.

Perez was found out on Sept 2, when a senior duty manager opened a safe under her care and found coins missing, and no notes left.

She was questioned by her superiors and admitted to the offence the next day.

 

[4 Strings]

College manager pleads guilty to breaching Private Education Act

Posted: 27 November 2012 1742 hrs

SINGAPORE: The manager of a local private college has pleaded guilty to breaching regulations for private education.

Duclos Hazel Margaret of Process College admitted that she failed to ensure that the college refunded students and keep proper records of their contracts.

Process College had collected course fees of about S$190,000 between January and April 2010 from 30 students who had enrolled in the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Hotel Management programmes.

In late 2010, the Council for Private Education (CPE), which is a statutory board regulating the private education industry, acted on complaints from students.

It directed Process College to refund the course fees to students as these courses were not conducted.

The CPE was informed by the students through their representative that an agreement had been reached between Duclos and the 30 students to refund the fees in instalments.

However, the instalment payments were not made.

The CPE filed charges against Duclos in June this year.

Under the Private Education Act, the manager of a registered private education institution must ensure that proper records of students and course administration are kept and updated.

Duclos, 64, will be sentenced on December 27 for the two charges.

A third charge of failing to obtain permission from the CPE before relocating will be taken into consideration during sentencing.

Under the law, the punishment for each of the three offences is a fine of up to S$10,000 or a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.

- CNA/lp

 

[4 Strings]

Man arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint for trying to leave Singapore illegally

Posted: 28 November 2012 1840 hrs

SINGAPORE: A Bangladeshi national was caught trying to sneak out of Singapore by hiding between stacks of empty vegetable baskets in a lorry.

The 28-year-old suspect was caught at Woodlands Checkpoint at about 4.45am on Wednesday.

Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority checked the Malaysia-registered lorry he was hiding in.

They spotted him hiding between the stacks of baskets at the back of the lorry.

The 31-year-old driver of the lorry, who is a Malaysian, was also arrested.

They are currently under investigation for the offences.

The vehicle used in the commission of the offences has been detained and is liable for forfeiture.

The ICA said it takes a serious view of attempts to overstay, enter or depart Singapore illegally.

Under the Immigration Act, the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane, while the penalties for illegal departure is a fine of up to $2,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both.

- CNA/lp/de

 

[4 Strings]

3 Bangladeshis investigated for lodging false police report

AsiaOne
Saturday, Dec 01, 2012

SINGAPORE - Police are investigating three male Bangladeshi nationals aged between 22 and 28 for making a false police report.

On November 28 at about 10.30pm, the trio had called the police informing them that they had been robbed at knife point at Tai Seng Link by four unknown Indian people.

They said that the suspects had taken their cash amounting to $150 and their work-permits during the robbery.

The suspects then allegedly ran off to a waiting car, which sped off.

Upon receiving the report, police officers conducted extensive enquiries at the crime scene.

Through follow-up investigations, it was revealed that the three had lost their work permits and hatched a plan to report a robbery in order to explain to their employer about the loss.

Investigations against the three subjects are on-going.

Anyone convicted of lying to a public servant can be fined up to $5,000, imprisoned for a term up to a year, or both.

The police would like to remind the public of the dire consequences of making such reports, which result in a waste of police resources that could otherwise have been better deployed to other more urgent cases.

[email protected]

 

[Millennium Falcon]

Three Malaysians arrested for suspected involvement in loanshark harassment

Posted: 06 December 2012 1737 hrs

SINGAPORE: Three Malaysians have been arrested for suspected involvement in loanshark harassment.

The suspects, who are between 20 and 26 years old, were caught during a six-hour operation led by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Officers mounted an operation at about 11.30pm on December 5, and arrested the suspects at Woodlands Checkpoint when they were about to leave Singapore on December 6.

Preliminary investigation showed that they were responsible for more than 10 cases of loanshark harassment cases.

They are suspected of having splashed paint at the units of debtors and scrawled graffiti on the walls at locations islandwide in November and early December.

Two of the suspects are believed to be involved in two other cases of loanshark harassment by splashing paint on two cars parked around Choa Chu Kang on November 29 and Tampines on December 3.

All three suspects will be charged in court on December 7 with loanshark harassment.

- CNA/de

 

[Orochi]

Two China workers arrested after standoff at construction site

By Sara Grosse/Alice Chia | Posted: 06 December 2012 1600 hrs

Two China workers perched atop crane escorted down on Thursday have been brought down from the crane by SCDF officers. (Photo: TODAY/Sara Grosse)

SINGAPORE: Police have arrested two workers from China for unlawfully remaining on top of construction cranes at a construction site in Jurong and intentionally causing alarm.

The Ministry of Manpower says the two men, Mr Zhu Guilei and Mr Wu Xiaolin, were unhappy with their employer Zhong Jiang (Singapore) International Pte Ltd over salaries.

Since 6.30am, the workers were seen on top of the construction cranes at a work site near No 31, Jurong Port Road.

The workers remained on separate cranes, which are about 10 storeys high.

By afternoon, the heat was noticeable. Still, the workers did not get down from the cranes.

The Police Crisis Negotiation Unit was activated to get the two men down to safety.

Shortly after 2pm, SCDF officers were seen climbing up one of the cranes.

After some coaxing, one of the workers began to make his way down.

The second worker continued to stay on top of his crane for the next hour.

After it started to rain, SCDF officers began climbing up the second crane.

Eventually, the second worker got down from the crane at about 3.30pm.

Both men were seen being escorted by SCDF officers after they reached the foot of the crane.

The two workers had previously approached the Ministry of Manpower and claimed they had outstanding salaries owed to them.

However, the MOM said the workers did not have the necessary documents to support these claims.

MOM officers had asked them to return with the documents so they could investigate. The workers had agreed to do so.

Police said if convicted, the workers can expect to face imprisonment, fine or both.

On the incident, the Migrant Workers' Centre called for more outreach with migrant workers so that they can be made aware of channels of help available to them.

Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Chairman of Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) said: "We have contacted the Ministry of Manpower about the case and on our hope that they are given a fair opportunity to air their grievances. In the meantime, we are confident that MOM will be able to achieve an outcome, with the workers and their employers, which is satisfactory to all concerned.

"We would like to assure the workers that the MWC will monitor the developments in this case and will step in to assist them if the need arises. We are gravely concerned about the interests and welfare of our migrant workers, and would like to reiterate our call to them to abide by established channels of assistance, either through MOM, MWC or any other migrant organisation set up to champion their welfare, and not to take matters into their own hands."

- CNA/ck/de

 

[Terry Bogard]

Maid jailed six months for stealing more than $10k from employer

Published on Dec 11, 2012
By Elena Chong

A Filipino maid who stole more than $10,000 worth of property from her employer was jailed for six months on Tuesday.

Elma Dela Cruz Romero, 41, pleaded guilty to stealing cash and jewellery totalling $10,349 from Madam Chua Siew Ling, 46, at her home in Wellington Circle in Sembawang on Dec 1.

The court heard that the family was away in Malaysia when Romero used a hammer to knock the door knob of the victim's master bedroom and managed to open it. She also used the hammer to force open the cupboard drawers in the master bedroom and other rooms.

After stealing the items, she sought a neighbour's help to call the police, claiming the flat had been ransacked.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Millennium Falcon]

Woman arrested for slashing man's throat

Police officers and paramedics surrounding a woman sitting on a stretcher. The woman, believed to be a Chinese national, was so distraught after being jilted by her Singaporean lover that she tried to take his life. (Right): A message scrawled outside a flat at Block 520, Ang Mo Kio Ave 5, by a woman. The message said that a man in the flat made her pregnant and jilted her.

The New Paper
Tuesday, Dec 11, 2012

SINGAPORE - A woman, believed to be a Chinese national, was so distraught after being jilted by her Singaporean lover that she tried to take his life.

Using a pen knife, the 25-year-old allegedly slashed his neck at his Ang Mo Kio flat.

Chinese language evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported that neighbours heard a loud commotion from inside the man's flat at Block 520, Ang Mo Kio Ave 5, from about 9am on Friday morning.

While they could not make out exactly what the commotion was about, screams from a woman, saying in Mandarin: "I want your life!" were heard repeatedly by neighbours and passers-by.

She then allegedly took a penknife and cut the man's neck.

The man, believed to be in his 30s, apparently begged her to stop.

In a bid to escape, he ran down about five storeys from his 20th storey flat, leaving a trail of blood along the staircase and in the lift.

The woman had also written, in Chinese, on a wall outside his flat: "You made me pregnant, jilted me... you disappeared... you b******d."

The man is believed to be single, and lives with his mother and sister.

Police said they received a call for assistance around noon.

Both the man and the woman were taken to hospital. They were conscious.

Police are investigating.

The woman has been arrested for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous means.

When reporters visited the hospital on Friday evening, the man's neck was bandaged.

His mother, who was with him, said he could not speak because doctors had just operated on him.

"He was lucky. If the cuts had been any deeper the consequences would have been unimaginable," she reportedly said.

She added that she did not know the woman.

 

[Akuma]

Molester jailed, caned and fined for targeting depressed housewife

Published on Dec 12, 2012
By Khushwant Singh

He realised that the housewife was not mentally sound and decided to take advantage of her. On Nov 24, Roopasingha Arachchige Anil Perera accosted the 47-year-old woman as she was walking to a coffee shop in Serangoon Central.

He molested the woman and later also got her to do a sex act. The 31-year-old Sri Lankan was today sentenced to three years in jail and nine strokes of the cane. He was also fined $1,000.

Perera is unemployed and is here on a special pass.

 

[Vultan]

Three Sri Lankans jailed for Little India gold chain theft

Published on Dec 10, 2012

A file photo of a goldsmith in Little India. Three Sri Lankans who stole five gold chains at a jewellery shop in Little India were jailed today. -- ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

By Elena Chong

Three Sri Lankans who stole five gold chains at a jewellery shop in Little India were jailed today.

Mohamed Nafik Nilamdeen Mohamed Nafik, 35, and Fahir Mohamed Ishak, 30, were each sentenced to six months' jail while Mohamed Niyabdeen Mohamed Hisam, 31, was given three months.

The two men's six-month sentences were backdated to June 4 when they were remanded, while Niyabdeen, who was on bail, began his sentence on Monday.

They admitted stealing the chains worth $26,511 from Minora Jewels with a fourth man, Jayasinghe Mudiyanselage Anushka, 30, at Dunlop Street on May 30. Jayasinghe's case is pending.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.