Man admits to letting retiree use his vaccination status, TraceTogether app to enter Sentosa bar
Kiran Singh Rughbir Singh pleaded guilty to one count of cheating by personation. PHOTO: ST FILE
Jean Iau
PUBLISHED
9 FEB 2022, 4:52 PM SGT
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SINGAPORE - A Malaysian man on Wednesday (Feb 9) admitted to allowing an unvaccinated man to use his TraceTogether app and vaccination status to enter a bar on Sentosa.
Kiran Singh Rughbir Singh, 37, appeared before a district court and pleaded guilty to one count of cheating by personation.
The court heard that Singh went for drinks with his then girlfriend and a man, Utheyakumar Nallathamby, 65, on Sept 9, 2021, when Utheyakumar was denied entry into Bikini Bar because he was unvaccinated.
At the time, only vaccinated people were allowed to dine in.
Singh suggested that Utheyakumar, a retiree, and his girlfriend go to the nearby Coastes Bar and use his TraceTogether app and the vaccination status shown on his phone to get into the bar while he waited outside.
Utheyakumar was allowed into the bar after doing so.
A bar employee there asked Utheyakumar and Singh's girlfriend to confirm that the information displayed on the phone screens showed their vaccination status. They both said yes.
"In doing so, the accused and Kumar intended to circumvent the SMMs (safe management measures) to enable Kumar to enter and dine in the premises of Coastes Bar despite Kumar's unvaccinated status," Deputy Public Prosecutor Shen Wanqin told the court.
While the pair were having drinks, the Bikini Bar worker who had earlier refused Utheyakumar entry recognised him and recalled that he was unvaccinated.
She told the staff at Coastes Bar, who then checked the phone Utheyakumar was carrying and realised he was using Singh's phone, TraceTogether app and vaccination status.
The police were alerted.
Singh is due to be sentenced on Feb 25.
The case against Utheyakumar is still pending.
For cheating by personation, Singh can be jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.
