Sep 22, 2010
Teen stole $46k from mum
Suicide verdict in case of girl who fell from high-rise block
By Elena Chong & Jalelah Abu Baker
OUT on police bail for theft, Lavanya Arivalagan was supposed to report to her investigation officer. But the day before her appointment, the teen decided to take her own life by jumping from a high-rise HDB block. A few weeks before, the 15-year-old had admitted to stealing more than $46,000 from the savings account of her mother, Madam Shanthi Rajoo, 45, together with her brothers Naresh Kumar, 24, and Danesh Kumar, 20.
The Secondary 4 student had made unauthorised withdrawals and transfers from her mother's account as she knew the PIN for the ATM card. This occurred after the siblings moved to their mother's home from the one they lived in with their father and stepmother.
Their father had told them that the court had awarded Lavanya and her brothers $30,000 after their parents' divorce in 1999. They decided to steal the money from their mother after she said they were not entitled to it. When Madam Shanthi confronted them about the missing $46,423, they denied the theft. In anger, she told them to leave and made a police report.
Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
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