Ah nehs...

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Private-hire driver took passenger’s laptop and reset it, erasing all her work data​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

May 28, 2024

SINGAPORE – A private-hire driver took a laptop that a passenger accidentally left behind and lied that he had not seen it.
Riduan Chumadi, who was a Grab driver at the time, sent the laptop for a factory reset, causing all data in the device – including two years of work-related information – to be deleted.
The victim, a 42-year-old bank employee, told investigators that her daily work would be impaired for the next six months to a year.
Riduan, 46, was sentenced to a week in jail on May 24 after he pleaded guilty to one count of dishonestly misappropriating the device.
The incident happened on Oct 18, 2023, when the victim left her office in Marina Boulevard at around 1.45pm and boarded Riduan’s car.
State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) Lam Peng Choy said the woman accidentally left her laptop worth $3,000 inside the vehicle when she alighted around 15 minutes later at Raffles Hospital in North Bridge Road.
Riduan picked up another passenger, who found the device and handed it to Riduan.

SPO Lam told the court: “The accused decided to dishonestly misappropriate the laptop and… kept it in the boot of the car.
“The accused knew that the laptop belonged to an earlier passenger but made no efforts to trace its rightful owner, as he had no intention to return the same (device) or turn it over to any authority.”
The victim realised that the device was missing at around 3.30pm after her medical appointment at the hospital and tried to contact Riduan twice, but he declined her calls.

After she contacted Grab, Riduan lied that he had not seen the laptop in his car, prompting the woman to make a police report.
On Oct 23, 2023, Riduan took the laptop to Sim Lim Square shopping mall to put it through a factory reset, and was caught soon after.
Court documents did not state if he intended to sell it or keep it for himself.
The laptop was recovered and returned to the victim. By then, all information stored in it was already lost.
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The SPO said: “The victim could not refer to past projects… to complete her work more efficiently, and also could not make reference (to) the past projects in order to pitch new projects to customers.”
In a statement to The Straits Times on May 28, Grab said that Riduan was initially suspended when it was informed about the incident.
He was later permanently banned from the Grab platform upon admission of the criminal charge against him.
Its spokesperson said: “Grab does not condone dishonest behaviour from our driver-partners. As per Grab’s code of conduct, partners who commit any criminal acts will be penalised, including suspension or termination of access to the platform.”
For dishonest misappropriation of property, an offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined.

 

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Migrant worker in loan shark case to leave Singapore by May 31; alleged harasser not found​

Mr Md Sharif Uddin complained online on May 25 that he was being sent back home following the conclusion of investigations. PHOTO: ST FILE

May 31, 2024

SINGAPORE – A Bangladeshi worker who was supposedly harassed by loan sharks is to leave Singapore by May 31, after the police concluded their investigations and could not find the harasser.
This comes after Mr Md Sharif Uddin complained online on May 25 that he was being sent back home following the conclusion of investigations into the alleged harassment. He said in the video that the authorities had earlier promised him he could continue working in Singapore after his case was concluded.
According to a joint statement by the Singapore Police Force and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on May 28, Mr Sharif was told on May 23 that he is no longer required to remain in Singapore as the police investigations have ended.
“Extensive investigations were conducted, including detailed interviews and forensic examinations of evidence to establish the identity and motive of the alleged harasser, who had not only harassed Mr Sharif, but his former and potential employers as well,” said the statement.
“The police have not found any evidence to suggest that Mr Sharif had borrowed from (unlicensed moneylenders) and have exhausted all leads to identify the alleged harasser.”
In April, MOM and the police said they would investigate Mr Sharif’s case, after the 46-year-old said in a video – posted by migrant worker welfare groups on social media – that he lost his job after telling his employer to alert the police about illegal moneylenders who were harassing him over an alleged unpaid loan.
He denied borrowing any money and said he was given one month’s notice, with his last day of employment stated in the termination notice as April 12.

Mr Sharif’s case gained the support of more than 760 people, who signed an online petition to let the father of two remain in Singapore.
He is also the first migrant worker to win the Singapore Book Award for Best Non-Fiction Title.
During the police investigation, Mr Sharif was issued a special pass to facilitate his stay in Singapore to assist the authorities looking into the case, after his work permit was terminated by his former employer on April 11.
His former employer had paid for his accommodation and meals during the investigation period, said police.

According to the statement, Mr Sharif was also allowed to seek employment under the Temporary Job Scheme but was not able to secure a job.
The short-term employment scheme is for foreigners who are required to remain in Singapore for investigation or prosecution purposes.
“During this time, the Ministry of Manpower and the Migrant Workers’ Centre had reached out to him to check on his well-being and linked him up with employment agencies to support his job search,” said the statement.
“Mr Sharif had expressed his preference to be a safety coordinator in the construction industry, but he was unable to secure such offers; we also understand that he had declined job offers for non-construction roles.”
Mr Sharif’s special pass was due to expire on May 24, but was extended to May 27 to allow him time to make departure arrangements.
It was then further extended to May 31 upon Mr Sharif’s request and given the circumstances of his case, said the statement.

 

[k1976]

Migrant worker in loan shark case to leave Singapore by May 31; alleged harasser not found​

Mr Md Sharif Uddin complained online on May 25 that he was being sent back home following the conclusion of investigations. PHOTO: ST FILE

May 31, 2024

SINGAPORE – A Bangladeshi worker who was supposedly harassed by loan sharks is to leave Singapore by May 31, after the police concluded their investigations and could not find the harasser.
This comes after Mr Md Sharif Uddin complained online on May 25 that he was being sent back home following the conclusion of investigations into the alleged harassment. He said in the video that the authorities had earlier promised him he could continue working in Singapore after his case was concluded.
According to a joint statement by the Singapore Police Force and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on May 28, Mr Sharif was told on May 23 that he is no longer required to remain in Singapore as the police investigations have ended.
“Extensive investigations were conducted, including detailed interviews and forensic examinations of evidence to establish the identity and motive of the alleged harasser, who had not only harassed Mr Sharif, but his former and potential employers as well,” said the statement.
“The police have not found any evidence to suggest that Mr Sharif had borrowed from (unlicensed moneylenders) and have exhausted all leads to identify the alleged harasser.”
In April, MOM and the police said they would investigate Mr Sharif’s case, after the 46-year-old said in a video – posted by migrant worker welfare groups on social media – that he lost his job after telling his employer to alert the police about illegal moneylenders who were harassing him over an alleged unpaid loan.
He denied borrowing any money and said he was given one month’s notice, with his last day of employment stated in the termination notice as April 12.

Mr Sharif’s case gained the support of more than 760 people, who signed an online petition to let the father of two remain in Singapore.
He is also the first migrant worker to win the Singapore Book Award for Best Non-Fiction Title.
During the police investigation, Mr Sharif was issued a special pass to facilitate his stay in Singapore to assist the authorities looking into the case, after his work permit was terminated by his former employer on April 11.
His former employer had paid for his accommodation and meals during the investigation period, said police.

According to the statement, Mr Sharif was also allowed to seek employment under the Temporary Job Scheme but was not able to secure a job.
The short-term employment scheme is for foreigners who are required to remain in Singapore for investigation or prosecution purposes.
“During this time, the Ministry of Manpower and the Migrant Workers’ Centre had reached out to him to check on his well-being and linked him up with employment agencies to support his job search,” said the statement.
“Mr Sharif had expressed his preference to be a safety coordinator in the construction industry, but he was unable to secure such offers; we also understand that he had declined job offers for non-construction roles.”
Mr Sharif’s special pass was due to expire on May 24, but was extended to May 27 to allow him time to make departure arrangements.
It was then further extended to May 31 upon Mr Sharif’s request and given the circumstances of his case, said the statement.

Write too much...punch above the weight class liao

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for man, 24, who left cop unconscious with punch to head in altercation near Boat Quay​

Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY
Devesh Raj Rajasegaran arrives at the State Courts on June 18, 2024.

• A man who was drinking with his friend became involved in a "commotion" near Boat Quay in the wee hours
• When police officers arrived at the scene, the man punched one of them in the head
• The officer lost consciousness and suffered temporary memory loss for a few days
• On Tuesday (June 18) the man, Devesh Raj Rajasegaran, was sentenced to five weeks' jail

By

Taufiq Zalizan​

Published June 18, 2024

SINGAPORE — While in a drunken stupor in the wee hours, a man punched a police officer who had been called to attend a squabble near Boat Quay involving about 10 men.
The single punch was so powerful that it knocked the officer unconscious “for at least a minute” and caused him to suffer from temporary memory loss.
On Tuesday (June 18), the man, Devesh Raj Rajasegaran, 24, was sentenced to five weeks’ jail. He had pleaded guilty in March this year to one count of voluntarily causing hurt.
His defence counsel said on Tuesday that he will be appealing against the sentence.

WHAT HAPPENED​

The court heard that the victim was one of four police officers dispatched to an area in Circular Road on June 25, 2022 after a member of the public informed them at around 3am of “more than 10 people having an argument”.
Prior to this, Devesh and his friend, Eeshwar Ravi, were drinking alcohol nearby.
When the police arrived, they spotted a group of individuals including Devesh and Eeshwar involved in a "commotion" in Circular Road opposite BK Eating House.
The officers, who were wearing civilian clothes at the time, approached the group, identifying themselves as police officers. Three of them were volunteer police officers.
While the victim and another officer were interviewing a member of the group, Devesh approached them to confront the individual who was being interviewed.
Soon after, Devesh threw a punch, hitting the police officer on the left side of his head.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Brian Tan said in court documents: “The accused was intoxicated when he punched the victim. As a result of the accused’s punch, the victim lost consciousness for at least a minute.”
The officer was later taken to the Singapore General Hospital by ambulance. Between the time he was punched and when he reached the hospital, he drifted in and out of consciousness several times.
The victim was given seven days’ hospitalisation leave and reported suffering temporary loss of memory and bad headaches for at least three days after the incident.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Devesh could have been jailed for up to three years, ordered to pay a fine of up to S$5,000 or both.

 

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Jail for ex-cop who forged witness statements, then lied to court in bid to be a lawyer​

Willjude Vimalraj Raymond Suras was sentenced to 25 months’ jail on June 20 after he pleaded guilty to 10 charges. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Samuel Devaraj

Jun 20, 2024

SINGAPORE – After his superior discovered that he had recorded two identical statements from witnesses in separate cases, a police officer was found to have forged 38 statements in 21 case files.
While under probe, Willjude Vimalraj Raymond Suras resigned from the Singapore Police Force in April 2019 and applied to become a lawyer.
In his application to the Singapore Bar, he lied in an affidavit to the High Court dated Dec 22, 2020, that he was not under any pending criminal investigation or proceedings in Singapore.
Willjude, 33, was sentenced to 25 months’ jail on June 20 after he pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including nine for forgery.
The last charge he admitted to was for intentionally giving false evidence in a judicial proceeding.
A total of 29 other forgery charges were taken into consideration during Willjude’s sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua said that Willjude held the rank of inspector, and as an investigating officer, his duties included recording statements from witnesses for criminal and coroner’s cases and recommending the appropriate course of action to his supervisor.

The prosecutor said Willjude’s supervisor noticed that Willjude rarely followed up outstanding investigations and often did not file away completed matters.
“She spoke to the accused on several occasions about his poor performance but did not see any progress,” DPP Chua added.
Despite meeting Willjude in December 2018 and setting deadlines for his outstanding cases, the supervisor observed that he still submitted his cases late and with inadequate investigations.

On Jan 26, 2019, the supervisor reviewed two of Willjude’s case files and found it strange that identical statements were recorded from two witnesses for two unrelated cases.
Suspecting that the statements may have been forged, she called the witnesses to check if Willjude had recorded statements from them and was told that he did not.
Upon questioning, Willjude admitted to forging the witness statements.
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His supervisor then ordered him to surrender all his case files, and following a review, he admitted to forging 38 statements. These cases included criminal and coroner’s matters that had been concluded, and criminal investigations that did not end in prosecution.
For one case that he had been assigned to on Nov 30, 2018, he had to record statements from three witnesses. But Willjude wanted to complete investigations and submit the case file quickly, said DPP Chua.
So for one witness whose handwritten statement was taken at Woodlands Checkpoint, he added fictitious portions while recording the statement and was careful not to read those portions back to her.
He did not interview another of the witnesses at all, and instead aligned the facts in her account with that of the first witness.
DPP Chua said the affected cases had to be reinvestigated where necessary and fresh statements were recorded from witnesses. It was found that all case outcomes were not affected by the forgeries.
Willjude was assessed by a senior consultant at the Institute of Mental Health on two occasions and was found to have had adjustment disorder, a psychological condition that occurs when an individual has difficulty coping with stressors or major life changes, among other conditions.

The doctor found that there was a contributory link between his mental condition and his forgery offences, but not for lying in the bar application.
DPP Chua asked the court to sentence Willjude to 30 months’ jail.
She said extensive efforts were spent to identify and reinvestigate affected cases, and that Willjude was persistent in his dishonesty.
“The accused’s dishonesty undermines public confidence in the integrity of the investigative and legal processes,” she added.
Willjude’s lawyer, Mr Azri Imran Tan, asked the court for a sentence of 12 to 17 months’ jail. Mr Tan added that Willjude had immediately ceased practising as a lawyer when Mr Tan advised him that he should not be doing so.
Mr Tan said Willjude had suffered workplace abuse by his superior during his stint in the police force, in addition to various personal issues. He said there was no intention to cast aspersions against the police or place blame on the superior for her actions, but the conditions he found himself in had affected his motives for committing the forgeries.
DPP Chua said that while necessary mitigating weight was given to Willjude’s reaction to his work environment, everyone faces stresses at work and that it cannot justify his actions.
She also said that due mitigating weight had been given to his mental condition in the sentence she sought.
For each count of forgery, Willjude could have been jailed for up to four years and fined.
He could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined for intentionally giving false evidence in a judicial proceeding.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Orchard Road fatal brawl: Man who punched, kicked victim jailed over 12 months​

Sharvin Jay Nair (centre) was sentenced to 12 months and eight weeks’ jail, and fined $2,000 for his offences. PHOTO: ST FILE

Nadine Chua

Jun 25, 2024

SINGAPORE - A man linked to the fatal Orchard Road hotel brawl in 2023 was sentenced to more than a year’s jail after pleading guilty to several offences, including punching and kicking another man during the fight.
On June 25, Sharvin Jay Nair, 25, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to Mr Mohammad Isrrat Mohd Ismail, who died following the brawl at Concorde Hotel & Shopping Mall.
Sharvin also admitted to one charge each of voluntarily causing grievous hurt and voluntarily causing hurt in separate incidents in 2022, and one charge of possessing a stun gun when he was not authorised to do so.
He was sentenced to 12 months and eight weeks’ jail, and fined $2,000 for his offences.
Mr Isrrat suffered multiple injuries during the brawl in the Orchard Road area and was unconscious when taken to hospital, where he died.
To date, more than 10 men have been charged over their alleged involvement in the brawl.
Among them is Asvain Pachan Pillai Sukumaran, 29, who is facing a murder charge for allegedly killing Mr Isrrat. Sharvin is the first to be convicted and sentenced in relation to this case.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kathy Chu said that on Aug 20, 2023, Sharvin went to Club Rumours at Concorde Hotel & Shopping Mall with a group of friends.
The prosecutor said the group belonged to a secret society called “Ang Soon Tong Jalan Kayu Depot”.
During this time, Mr Isrrat and his friend Muhammad Shahrulnizam Osman arrived at the same club. They were from a secret society called “369 Kallang Airport”, which is a rival to the secret society that Sharvin was in.

Shahrulnizam, 31, faces four charges, including voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
The DPP said Mr Isrrat, a former bouncer at Club Rumours, was there to distribute his wedding invitation cards to the staff.
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At around 6am, as the club began to close and patrons started to leave, Mr Isrrat and Shahrulnizam shouted vulgarities in Malay aimed at Sharvin’s group.
Sharvin’s group confronted Mr Isrrat and Shahrulnizam, and Mr Isrrat punched Asvain. Pushing and shoving ensued between both groups as they moved towards the open area in Kramat Lane, behind Concorde Shopping Mall. Sharvin then punched and kicked Mr Isrrat, causing him to fall. Shahrulnizam took out a bread knife he had tucked into his pants and slashed Sharvin’s arm with it. He also slashed others in Sharvin’s group.
Mr Isrrat and Shahrulnizam then ran back into Concorde Shopping Mall, as members of Sharvin’s group chased them.
While Shahrulnizam went back into Club Rumours, several members of Sharvin’s group attacked Mr Isrrat, culminating in Asvain stabbing him multiple times, said the DPP.
The DPP said Sharvin did not follow his group back into Concorde Shopping Mall as his arm was bleeding. He went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and lied that he had been injured in a fall. He was subsequently arrested there.
In her submissions, DPP Chu said that while Sharvin did not take part in the attack in Concorde Shopping Mall during which Mr Isrrat was stabbed, the bruises on the victim’s forearms, neck and head can be attributed to the actions of Sharvin and co-accused.
For his offences, she sought a sentence of 12 to 15 months and nine to 11 weeks’ jail, and a $2,000 to $3,000 fine.
In mitigation, defence lawyer Ramesh Tiwary urged the judge to note that the vulgarities used by Mr Isrrat were “racially charged and highly derogatory”. He added that his client fully cooperated in police investigations and has since dissociated himself from other group members.
Those convicted of voluntarily causing hurt can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $5,000, or both.

 

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Jail, fine for serial conwoman who cheated 12 victims of over $106k in various scams​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Jul 03, 2024

SINGAPORE - A serial conwoman who cheated 12 victims of more than $106,000 in total in various scams was sentenced to three years’ jail and a fine of $2,000 on July 3.
Priscilla Shamani Manoharan, 33, is in remand, and one of her victims was a man whom she cheated of $57,250 by making claims such as needing to pay for a Housing Board transaction and that her daughter had died, followed by her son.
She also conned the man by faking her own death, pretending to be a lawyer and sending him bogus invoices for “outstanding legal fees”.
On June 20, she pleaded guilty to six charges, including multiple counts of cheating. Fourteen other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Before handing down the sentence, District Judge John Ng said that the Singaporean offender had “demonstrated recalcitrance” even while she was on bail.
The judge also stressed that the case involved multiple victims and a substantial sum of money.
Priscilla started her crime spree in 2022. In April that year, the unemployed woman, who was a mother of two at the time of the offences, posted advertisements on online platforms such as Facebook and Telegram, claiming to have an HDB flat for rent for between $1,500 and $1,800 a month.

However, she had no intention of renting out her flat.
Multiple people contacted her and expressed their interest in renting the flat. She then told them that they had to pay a deposit to secure its rental.
Over 22 occasions between April 17 and May 27, 2022, she cheated nine people of $37,283 in total. Some of the victims later went to the flat and Priscilla’s father told them they had been scammed.

She was arrested on June 1, 2022, and charged in court two days later, before she was released on bail on June 8 that year.
The following year, Priscilla targeted a 23-year-old student whom she had earlier met in an online group formed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
On July 24, 2023, she told him her daughter had died, and she needed money to pay for the funeral service. Believing her lies, the student handed her $600 that day.
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She cheated him 23 more times, duping him into handing over $57,250 in total. She also created bogus documents and electronic records to back up her claims.
Among other things, Priscilla told him she wanted to sell her flat, and in August 2023, she created fake screenshots of e-mails purportedly sent by HDB.
She then claimed that she had to make payments to complete the process.
On another occasion in September 2023, Priscilla met the student at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and lied that her son had died.
She created fake WhatsApp chat records, purportedly between her and a KKH staff member, to convince the victim that she needed money urgently for medical fees.
The bogus records also stated that the hospital would “proceed to lodge a report for child negligence and abuse” as she was supposedly unable to pay for the treatment.
Between September and October 2023, Priscilla also pretended to be a lawyer called “Archana Nair” from the Legal Aid Bureau and contacted the student about some purported medical bills.
Soon after, the “lawyer” claimed that Priscilla had died and showed the student fake invoices for her “outstanding legal fees”.
The victim contacted the Legal Aid Bureau and was told that there was no such lawyer. He alerted the police on Oct 11, 2023.
Separately, Priscilla also cheated two other men, aged 35 and 45, of a total of $11,800 in another rental scam in early 2024.
For each count of cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Bar owner who harboured and raped 17-year-old runaway gets jail, caning​

Raj Kumar Bala was convicted for raping the teenager and molesting her at his condominium unit, and for harbouring her. PHOTO: ST FILE

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

Jul 08, 2024

SINGAPORE - The owner of a bar in Little India who harboured a 17-year-old runaway and raped her three days later was on July 8 sentenced to 13 years and four weeks’ jail and nine strokes of the cane.
Raj Kumar Bala, 42, was convicted in March on two charges – one each for raping the teenager and for molesting her at his rented condominium unit while she was drunk.
On July 8, he pleaded guilty to a third charge – harbouring the teen by permitting her to stay and work for him, despite knowing she had run away from the Singapore Girls’ Home.
In sentencing, High Court Judge Mavis Chionh said there was a “high degree of sexual exploitation” involved in the rape.
The judge noted that Raj Kumar was not just aware of the victim’s vulnerability owing to her intoxicated state, but he had also taken steps to pressure her to consume alcohol.
Justice Chionh added that he was aware the teenager was on the run, and was dependent on him for money and shelter.
After the sentence was handed down, Raj Kumar’s lawyer, Mr Ramesh Tiwary, said he intends to file an appeal against the conviction.

Mr Tiwary also told the court that his client wished to be released on bail so he can sell his property and business to leave money for his wife and children, help his wife apply for permanent residency, and settle his son into school.
Justice Chionh rejected the bail request, saying that no reason had been shown as to why Raj Kumar must be physically present for these matters.
The bar owner also faces 22 more charges relating to five other victims, mainly for sex offences. These charges are pending in court.

He is accused of raping and molesting a victim identified in court documents as B1; raping and sexually assaulting a victim who was identified as B5; and raping, molesting and threatening another victim, identified as B6.
He is also accused of sexually penetrating a minor under the age of 16, identified as B7; and molesting and causing alarm to another victim, identified as B8.
Raj Kumar had gone on trial in August 2023 for molesting and raping the victim in the current case between the night of Feb 21 and the early morning of Feb 22 in 2020.
He denied the charges and claimed the girl had consented to having sex with him.
But Justice Chionh found him guilty of the two charges on March 28, saying sufficient evidence had been presented by the prosecution to prove that the girl did not consent to the sex acts.

The victim had gone to the Dunlop Street bar for a job interview on Feb 18, 2020, about two weeks after she absconded from the home.
Raj Kumar hired her and told her that she could stay at the bar with two other runaways.
On the night of Feb 21, 2020, the bar was raided by the police after an acquaintance of the runaways made a report that they were working there.
Raj Kumar drove the three runaways to his condo and told them they could stay there.
He drank with the girls, and the victim became heavily intoxicated.
He ended up having sex with the victim and also engaged in sex acts with another girl – the alleged victim identified as B1 – on the second floor of the unit.
The third girl remained on the first floor.
The victim left the condo later that day. She stayed with a friend and told him about the rape two to three weeks later.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for pair linked to bank accounts that received over $1.4m from scam victims​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Jul 10, 2024

SINGAPORE - Two men were part of an arrangement that led to the incorporation of at least 50 companies, and two of these companies’ bank accounts later received more than US$1,063,000 (S$1.4 million) from scam victims in the United States.
On July 9, one of them, Ishan Sharma, 34, was sentenced to four weeks’ jail. He had pleaded guilty to two charges under the Companies Act after instigating his friend Kandhiban Letchumanansamy, 36, into not exercising reasonable diligence when the latter was a director at both firms.
Kandhiban was sentenced to a week’s jail. He pleaded guilty to one charge under the same Act after he failed to exercise any supervision over the companies’ affairs.
Both men are Singaporeans.
Court documents did not state how the offences came to light.
Stressing that Sharma was the “directing mind” behind these arrangements, Deputy Public Prosecutor Matthew Choo told the court that the offender earned $12,000 in total for his offences linked to the two companies that received more than US$1 million from scam victims.
At the time of the offences between 2019 and 2020, Sharma was a chartered accountant.

In 2017, he found out that Kandhiban was unemployed and offered the older man a job at a firm called Karmic Circle, with a monthly salary of $500.
As part of the arrangement, Kandhiban had to be listed as a director of incorporated companies. He agreed to the deal.
DPP Choo said: “Kandhiban knew that he was meant to be a ‘silent director’ and would have nothing to do with the operations or activities of the companies.

“Kandhiban also did not perform any due diligence on the companies prior to incorporation, relying on Ishan (Sharma), who informed him that he had supposedly conducted due diligence checks on the companies. There were no supervisory structures in place post-incorporation.”
Due to his arrangement with Sharma, Kandhiban became the listed director of more than 50 companies between 2019 and 2020.
Some time before June 2019, a man known as Aashish Nanda introduced Sharma to Indian national Rahul Batra, the court heard.
Aashish also told Sharma that Rahul wanted to incorporate a company in Singapore.
Sharma then corresponded with Rahul twice over the phone before he proceeded with the incorporation of Quartz Resources.
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Sharma did not perform any thorough due diligence or background checks on Rahul. Instead, he carried out only cursory searches of Rahul’s name on the internet.
“Ishan (Sharma) and Kandhiban only met Rahul in person in June 2019 after the incorporation of Quartz Resources, where Rahul paid (Sharma) $6,000 in cash for the services rendered and for the opening of Quartz Resources’ corporate accounts,” said the prosecutor.
Kandhiban then signed an agreement with Rahul to be a nominee director of Quartz Resources.
Kandhiban understood from Sharma that Quartz Resources was purportedly in the business of infocomm technology consultation, software development and sales.
The agreement included a clause stating that Kandhiban should not be involved in the firm’s management and operations.
Quartz Resources was incorporated on June 7, 2019, and Sharma’s home was listed as its registered office address. Kandhiban and Rahul were listed as its directors, while Sharma was listed as its secretary.
Later that month, three corporate bank accounts were opened under Quartz Resources’ name, with Rahul as their sole signatory.
The DPP said Kandhiban did not have access to the bank statements, did not request the statements, and did not review the transactions performed through the accounts.

Two of Quartz Resources’ bank accounts later received more than US$583,000 from five scam victims.
Sharma and Kandhiban went on to commit similar offences linked to Kiora Worldwide, which was incorporated on Nov 3, 2019.
For this case, the court heard that some time before November 2019, Aashish introduced Sharma to another Indian national, identified as Wadhawan Suchit.
Sharma met Wadhawan in person only in November 2019, after the incorporation of Kiora Worldwide. The Indian national paid him $6,000 in cash for items, including services rendered.
Kandhiban and Wadhawan were listed as the directors of Kiora Worldwide, while Sharma was listed as its secretary.
Two of Kiora Worldwide’s bank accounts later received nearly US$480,000 from three scam victims.
The monies received in the bank accounts belonging to Kiora Worldwide and Quartz Resources were remitted to accounts belonging to other companies in countries including China and the United Arab Emirates.
The scam proceeds were not recovered.

 

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Singapore-flagged vessel loaded with drugs caught off Riau Islands, say Indonesian authorities​

Three Singapore PRs who are Indian nationals are allegedly the owners of the drugs and had commissioned the trip. PHOTO: F. PANGESTU

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja
Indonesia Correspondent

Jul 17, 2024

JAKARTA - Indonesia has intercepted a Singapore-flagged vessel carrying 106kg of crystal methamphetamine in the waters off the Riau Islands that was probably en route to Brisbane, Australia, said the authorities on July 17.
Acting on a tip-off, the Indonesian authorities intercepted the cargo vessel, called Legend Aquarius, in the Pongkar waters of the Karimun district, about one hour from Singapore by ferry.
It was manned by 10 Indonesian crew members, including the captain.
Three Singapore permanent residents who are Indian nationals were also on board. They are allegedly the owners of the drugs and had commissioned the trip, police commissioner-general Marthinus Hukom, head of the Indonesian National Narcotic Agency (BNN), told reporters at a press conference in Batam.
Contacted by The Straits Times, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said that on July 17, it was alerted to the detention of a Singapore-flagged vessel, Legend Aquarius, by the Indonesian authorities.
“MPA is in contact with the vessel owner to ascertain the facts and has advised the company to cooperate with the Indonesian authorities on the investigations,” MPA said in a reply to The Straits Times.
At the press conference, Inspector-General Wayan Sugiri, BNN deputy for eradication, said the vessel left Singapore on July 9 for a private port in Johor Bahru.

​

While at the private port on July 12, the three PRs – whose initials police disclosed as RM, SD and GV – loaded the illicit drugs onto the vessel and placed them in the engine room. The boat captain and nine crew members had earlier been told to leave the vessel and have a break on shore.
The three PRs have lived in Singapore for periods of between six and eight years, and each of them has academic credentials in vessel engineering, said the authorities.
On July 13, the vessel was refuelled in the waters off Singapore before continuing the trip towards Indonesia.

“Based on our interrogations of the three foreigners, they had planned to head to Surabaya, Dili, Papua, then Brisbane, Australia. But we will double-check this, in case they didn’t state the truth,” said Inspector-General Wayan.
He also said the authorities had received a tip-off about the illegal shipment from members of the public whom he declined to identify. He added that the vessel crew were not implicated in the crime.

The BNN said the vessel has an IMO number of 9797072. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) uses a numbering system to provide a mechanism and registry for the unique identification and registration of vessels globally to increase traceability and transparency.
The maximum penalty for a conviction over charges related to the trading of illegal drugs is a death sentence, according to the 2009 anti-narcotics law.
“The message from BNN’s chief (General Marthinus Hukom) is clear: Don’t try to get drugs into Indonesia. We are not working alone. We receive information coming from everywhere,” said Inspector-General Wayan.

Indonesia’s anti-narcotic agency BNN presenting in a media briefing confiscated crystal methamphetamine from the Singapore-flagged Legend Aquarius it intercepted in waters off the Riau Islands. PHOTO: F. PANGESTU
The crackdown on trafficking by Indonesia comes amid soaring consumption of illicit narcotics in the region.
On Feb 23, BNN and the Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore agreed to form a strategic partnership to fight illicit drugs in South-east Asia, as there had been a rise in such crimes as well as increasing complexity in curbing them.
BNN head Marthinus said Indonesia would work with its Singapore counterparts to exchange information and data, as well as collaborate on enforcement and joint operations, Indonesian state news agency Antara reported on Feb 23.

 

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Jail for cabby who stole 3 Rolex watches from sleeping passengers, jewellery from his mother​

Michael Raj’s crime spree started when he stole his mother’s jewellery between May and June 2021. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Jul 30, 2024

SINGAPORE – A taxi driver with financial problems stole three Rolex watches worth more than $200,000 in total from three sleeping passengers on separate occasions, and sold the timepieces.
Michael Raj, 48, also stole 13 sets of jewellery worth nearly $43,400 in total from his 70-year-old mother.
On July 30, he was sentenced to one year and five months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to four theft charges.
His crime spree started when he stole his mother’s jewellery between May and June 2021.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Shi Yun told the court: “This was not a case of a careless victim who left her valuables lying around in the open.
“The victim’s (valuables) were locked in a drawer in a cupboard and (its) key was kept in another drawer in the same cupboard.”
After that, Michael pawned the valuables at various pawnshops without his mother’s consent and paid his debts.

On July 5, 2021, his mother discovered that several pieces of her jewellery were missing.
She confronted him two days later and then reported the matter to the police.
Michael has since made partial restitution of around $3,000 to her.

On Sept 2, 2022, he was driving a taxi and picked up a heavily intoxicated 33-year-old man near Orchard Towers shopping mall at around 5am.
The passenger was asleep when they reached the man’s stated destination.
Michael then removed the man’s Rolex watch, worth $45,000, from his wrist.
The following month, he stole a second Rolex watch, worth nearly $67,300, from a 44-year-old male passenger who had also fallen asleep in his taxi.
The two passengers alerted the police when they found their valuables missing.
Their watches were not recovered and Michael has made no restitution to the two victims, the court heard.
On June 15, 2023, Michael stole a third Rolex watch, worth $88,000, from a 30-year-old man who had boarded the offender’s taxi before nodding off.
The watch has since been recovered and returned to the victim after he made a police report.
On July 30, defence lawyer Wee Hong Shern urged the court to sentence Michael to a year and three months’ jail.
Mr Wee added: “He sincerely wishes to turn over a new leaf. He will serve his sentence and thereafter commit himself to work and to making up for lost time with his wife and daughter.”

 

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Jail for friend of ex-FAS deputy director who helped him cheat sports body of over $450k​

Pallaniappan Ravindran arriving at the State Courts on April 4. He was sentenced to eight weeks’ jail on Aug 14.

Christine Tan

Aug 15, 2024

SINGAPORE – A friend of a former Football Association of Singapore (FAS) deputy director who helped him cheat the organisation of over $450,000 was sentenced to eight weeks’ jail on Aug 14.
Pallaniappan Ravindran, 51, pleaded guilty to five counts of engaging in a conspiracy to cheat the association. Ten other similar charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
Ravindran, who was director of sports merchandise supplier Myriad Sports & Events, had helped ex-FAS deputy director Rikram Jit Singh Randhir Singh, 43, to dupe FAS by pretending that Myriad would supply items to the association.
But a company linked to Singh and his wife, Ms Asya Kirin Kames, were supplying the items and taking the payments from FAS.
The trio’s conspiracy led to the association being cheated of $457,605 in total.
Singh, whom Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran called the mastermind behind the crime, was sentenced to 55 weeks’ jail in January.
Ms Asya, 36, who was earlier handed 46 charges, was granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal in January – meaning she cannot be charged again with the same offences.

DPP Thiagesh told the court on Aug 14 that Singh and Ravindran were colleagues at another company from 2008 to 2009.
In 2016, Ravindran considered winding down Myriad as he had other work commitments and the firm was not generating revenue.
Singh advised him not to do so and asked Ravindran to provide quotations to supply sports merchandise to FAS.

Singh said he would take over the supply jobs FAS had given to Myriad. Ravindran could keep a small sum of FAS’ payment and then transfer the rest of the money to Singh.
When Ravindran asked why this arrangement was necessary, Singh admitted that it was a conflict of interest for him or any company associated with him to get contracts with FAS.
DPP Thiagesh said Ravindran agreed to the scheme because of his friendship with Singh.
Separately, Ravindran had decided to keep Myriad running as there was a possibility of supplying sports merchandise to Thailand.
Said the prosecutor: “While (Ravindran) knew that Rikram would take over the supply jobs, (he) was unaware as to how Rikram would do so.”

Singh met Ms Asya while she was working in the communications department at FAS in 2013.
She then set up All Resources Network (ARN), a firm which specialised in event management and the sale of sporting and recreational goods, after leaving FAS in December that year.
Singh and Ms Asya spoke frequently as ARN regularly organised or supported FAS events.
They got married, but did not declare the conflict of interest to FAS.
In February 2016, the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) agreed that FAS would produce and disseminate clappers, stress balls, scroll banners and football scarves.
These would carry NCPG imagery and be distributed at S-League matches and youth outreach programmes.
In one instance, Ravindran submitted a quotation under Myriad’s name for 15,300 pieces of football scarves valued at $29,835.
FAS approved the quotation and paid Myriad. Ravindran gave the money to Singh and ARN subsequently supplied the items to FAS.
DPP Thiagesh said FAS did not know ARN would actually be the firm supplying the items and would not have approved the quotations nor made payment if it had known the truth.
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) received information in 2019 that Singh had misappropriated money from FAS and began investigations.
Ravindran returned all the profits he earned from the scheme to CPIB.
DPP Thiagesh asked for Ravindran to be jailed for between eight and 12 weeks.
His lawyer, Mr Thangavelu, argued for him to avoid jail or to be given only a short jail term, noting that Ravindran suffers from a heart condition.
In sentencing, District Judge Teoh Ai Lin said the Singapore Prison Service has assured that it will provide Ravindran the required level of medical care to manage his condition.

 

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Woman who borrowed from friend and made excuses to evade repayment ordered to return $466,700​

The judge said one friend’s seemingly endless generosity and misplaced trust was callously exploited by the other. PHOTO: ST FILE

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

Aug 16, 2024

SINGAPORE - A woman who borrowed large sums of money from a friend over three years and gave seemingly absurd excuses for not repaying the loans has been ordered by the High Court to return $466,700 to the lender.
The lender, Ms Natasha Mak-Levrion, had sued the borrower, Ms R. Shiamala, for the return of $525,200, but she was able to provide evidence to back up transactions amounting to only $487,700.
After taking into account that $21,000 had been repaid over the years, the court found that Ms Mak-Levrion is owed $466,700.
In a written judgment issued on Aug 15, Judicial Commissioner Mohamed Faizal quoted a famous line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in which a character in the tragic play advised his son that “neither a borrower nor a lender be, for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry”.
The judge said both the distressing realities alluded to in the line – the inevitable loss by the lender of both the loan and the friend, and the mountain of debt inevitably collapsing upon itself – have unfortunately reared their ugly heads in the current case.
He said: “One friend’s seemingly endless generosity and misplaced (and misguided) trust was callously exploited by the other, and when it came time to pay up, all that the other party could do was doggedly evade, ignore and resist while concomitantly coming up with excuses to borrow more and more, on the patently unsustainable and impossibly optimistic hope that the time to repay would simply never arrive.
“That time has now come.”

The two women met each other in 2016, after Ms Mak-Levrion’s company was hired by Ms Shiamala’s company.
Ms Mak-Levrion is a director and shareholder of a Singapore-registered company that provides consultancy and other services.
Ms Shiamala used to be a director and sole shareholder of a Singapore-registered company.

Ms Mak-Levrion said that in mid-February 2016, as she was leaving the office, she saw Ms Shiamala sitting alone, seemingly sad and distressed.
She said Ms Shiamala then poured out her woes and made various allegations against her husband.
After this incident, the two women kept in touch, largely to discuss Ms Shiamala’s personal life.
On March 14, 2016, Ms Shiamala called Ms Mak-Levrion in a panic and said she needed a loan to tide over her company’s cash flow problems.
On the same day, Ms Mak-Levrion issued a cash cheque for $15,000 – the first of many interest-free loans she made to Ms Shiamala.

In her lawsuit, Ms Mak-Levrion listed 43 loans ranging from $1,000 to $35,000, made between 2016 and 2019.
Each sum was supported by documents tendered to the court, including 800 pages of WhatsApp messages exchanged between her and Ms Shiamala, cheque stubs, bank statements and IOUs.
According to Ms Mak-Levrion, the snowballing loans caused a strain on her own finances, as well as her marriage.
She said Ms Shiamala gave many reasons for her inability to repay them, including apparent calamities such as the deaths of her four brothers and a nephew, and the permanent paralysis of a niece.
On June 24, 2021, she asked Ms Shiamala to sign an acknowledgment, in the presence of two witnesses, that she was indebted to Ms Mak-Levrion for the sum of $525,200.
Ms Mak-Levrion then hired lawyers from Arul Chew & Partners to pursue the debt. No payment was made, and she filed the lawsuit on April 21, 2023.
In her initial defence filed on May 12 that year, Ms Shiamala conceded that she took loans from Ms Mak-Levrion. She later took issue with the fact that the sum appeared higher than what she believed she had borrowed.
Ms Mak-Levrion responded with a court filing on Dec 19, which provided more details.
Ms Shiamala then shifted her stance.
In an affidavit on March 19, 2024, she claimed that the monies passed to her were not loans but an investment by Ms Mak-Levrion in her business.
In his judgment, the judge said Ms Shiamala’s “drastic change” was primarily motivated by her realisation that she had to conjure up a false narrative to avoid responsibility for her debts.
On the stand, Ms Shiamala testified that she was given a mix of personal loans and company investments-cum-loans. She did not present messages or documents to support her contention.

The judicial commissioner said Ms Mak-Levrion’s version of events was consistent with the documentary evidence.
He noted that Ms Shiamala had, in many of the WhatsApp messages, made constant and explicit allusions to needing to borrow money.
At the same time, not a single message spoke of a commercial arrangement, said the judge.
He added that Ms Shiamala’s “impressive line of successive excuses” was simply evidence of the wider web of lies she spun to avoid repaying her debts.

 

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Jail for man who plotted with colleague to take electrical cable worth S$100,000 from IMH worksite, sell it for personal gain​

Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY
A view of the entrance to the State Courts building.

• Palanivel Vijayasankar, 43, was sentenced to 18 months’ jail for criminal breach of trust
• He had hatched a plot with his colleague to misappropriate more than 1,000 metres of excess electrical cable from a worksite
• The total value of the cable was nearly S$103,000
• They sold the cable to a third-party for S$45,000 and split the profits equally

By

Nicole Lam​

Published August 23, 2024

SINGAPORE — An operations manager at an electrical engineering company misappropriated more than S$100,000 worth of electrical cable from a worksite and sold it to a third party for S$45,000.
For his actions, Palanivel Vijayasankar, a 43-year-old from India, was sentenced on Friday (Aug 23) to 18 months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal breach of trust.
His colleague, Andiyappan Palanivelu, also from India, is a co-accused in this case.
Court documents stated that the two men plotted to sell off excess electrical cable from a worksite.
Andiyappan, then an operations supervisor, left Singapore on April 24 and has yet to return.

He and Palanivel, an operations manager at the time, worked at Donjon, a company that installs, upgrades and replaces electrical equipment.
As operations manager, Palanivel was tasked with supervising company projects and ensuring their successful execution. He was also authorised to procure raw materials for the projects that he supervised.

WHAT HAPPENED​

In 2021, Palanivel was tasked to supervise a project with the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
Andiyappan was tasked to assist him on the project and reported directly to the Palanivel. The worksite was located around 10 Buangkok View and involved electrical works on existing buildings there.
A total of 5,312m of XLPE electrical cable was needed to complete the electrical works.
An XLPE cable is a strong, heat-resistant electrical wire used to carry power in underground or industrial areas safely.

From August to October last year, Palanivel arranged for the cable to be procured and delivered to the worksite.
Court documents stated that the total price of the cable was S$423,200.
On May 7, Donjon received an invoice for the project at IMH. The invoice stated that the total length of cable used at the worksite was 4,800m.
The company’s deputy general noticed the discrepancy between the length of the electrical cable stated in the invoice and the amount procured by the man.
The deputy general sent the company’s surveyor to the worksite to perform an inspection.
The personnel found that the actual length used was only 4,020m and there was a difference of 1,292m between the length of cable that Palanivel had procured and the length of cable used.

The total value of the missing cable was S$102,931.93.
When confronted about the discrepancy, Palanivel initially claimed that the excess 1,292m of cable was already used or left unused at the worksite.
However, on May 29, he contacted one of the company directors and confessed that he and his colleague had sold off the 1,292m for personal gain.
A Donjon staff member made a police report the next day stating that Palanivel had misappropriated the cable.
When questioned by the police, he admitted that he had discussed with Andiyappan how to deal with the excess electrical cable.
Court documents stated that both of them had come up with the idea of selling the excess cable and splitting the sale proceeds in half.

Andiyappan then sold the excess cable to a third-party buyer between February and April for around S$45,000.
Andiyappan handed Palanivel around S$22,500 as his share of the sale proceeds. The court heard that Palanivel remitted the money back to India and cannot make restitution.
Palanivel appeared in court in person and was represented by lawyer Manickavasagam RM Karuppiah Pillai from law firm Manicka & Co.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrew Chia sought a sentence of between 17 and 20 months’ jail.
He said that "the offence involved a certain level of premeditation", given that Palanivel had discussed with the co-accused how to deal with the excess cable before coming to an agreement.
For criminal breach of trust, Palanivel could have been jailed for up to 15 years and fined.

 

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Ex-yoga instructor gets nearly 2 years’ jail, caning for molesting 3 women during classes​

Former yoga instructor Rajpal Singh was sentenced to 23 months’ jail and four strokes of the cane on Aug 30. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Aug 30, 2024


SINGAPORE – A former yoga instructor was sentenced to 23 months’ jail and four strokes of the cane on Aug 30 for molesting three women when he was conducting classes with them.
At the time of the offences, Indian national Rajpal Singh, 35, was working at Trust Yoga in Telok Ayer Street, where all three victims were members. He no longer conducts lessons there.
Before handing down the sentence, District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz said that Singh had abused the trust placed in him by the three women, whom she referred to as Ms C, Ms V and Ms R.
She also said that the trio had suffered emotional and psychological harm.
The judge said that Ms C has been receiving therapy from a counsellor, adding: “(She) testified that she had regarded yoga classes as ‘a safe space’ and had not expected to have been violated during a yoga class by a teacher who was in a position of authority in the room.”
The judge added that Ms V had testified that she remains “very affected” by her ordeal and described it as a “very traumatic experience”.
“Ms R... shared that it took her several months to process the ‘trauma’ with a therapist,” said the judge, who also noted that all three victims no longer practise yoga.

After a 13-day trial, she convicted Singh on May 16 of five molestation charges involving the three women. She had found that the trio were “unusually convincing” witnesses.
Singh was acquitted of three other molestation charges involving a fourth woman, Ms Y.
Ms C, who was 24 at the time, attended Singh’s class from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on July 11, 2020. A CCTV camera recorded the session, and its footage was admitted as an exhibit during the trial.

Ms C was in a yoga position called a “forward fold” when he molested her. She was in another pose when he outraged her modesty again.
Deputy public prosecutors Selene Yap and Gladys Lim had earlier said in their submissions: “(She) felt violated and did not expect to be molested in class by a teacher. She expected yoga classes to be a safe space and was confused about how to react.”
Ms C later told a friend and her mother what had happened.
Ms V, who was then around 24 years old, attended classes from Sept 30, 2019, to July 29, 2020, and Singh molested her twice within that time.
During the trial, she stated that she saw Singh as a properly trained instructor who should have known how to appropriately adjust students’ poses.
The DPPs said this made it difficult for her to accept or believe that he would have molested her.
The court heard that initially she had a strong desire to ignore the incident, but she spoke to Ms C and finally alerted the police on Aug 29, 2020.
Ms R was 28 years old when Singh molested her during a class in November 2019. She felt disoriented, confused, shocked and angry.
On Aug 5, 2020, she found out by chance on social media that he had also molested Ms C. Ms R communicated with her via Instagram before alerting the police that day.
Singh had denied molesting the women. Among other things, he said that if he had touched Ms V and Ms R, he had done so to adjust their poses.
On Aug 30, defence lawyer Anil Murkoth Changaroth said that his client will be appealing against his conviction and sentence. His bail was set at $50,000.
Singh still has two pending molestation charges and his pre-trial conference involving them will be held on Sept 16.

 

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Jail for man who molested family friend’s 13-year-old daughter​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Sep 02, 2024

SINGAPORE – He was a family friend, and a 13-year-old girl trusted him enough to go on a motorcycle ride with him and later agree to sit on his lap near a playground in Sembawang.
The man then molested the girl before taking her back home later that evening in October 2022.
The 52-year-old Indian national, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the girl’s identity, pleaded guilty to a molestation charge and was sentenced to 14 months’ jail on Sept 2.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Suriya Prakash told the court that the man often visited the girl and her mother at their home.
Some time before 7pm on Oct 26, 2022, the mother contacted the man and asked him to bring them dinner.
He turned up at their home that evening and played chess with the victim.
The prosecutor said: “The accused then asked the victim if she wanted to go on a joyride alone with him on his motorcycle. The victim agreed.

“The victim’s mother also consented to the accused bringing the victim on the joyride alone and entrusted the victim in the accused’s custody.”
The man then rode his motorcycle with the girl riding pillion.
They went to a shop at Sembawang Shopping Centre, where he bought her a drawing block holder, a notebook and a sticker pad.
He then asked the girl to accompany him to a nearby beach. She initially declined to do so but gave in when he persuaded her to come along.
They reached a playground near Wak Hassan Drive, and he sat on a bench before asking the girl to sit on his lap. After she complied, the man molested the girl.
Feeling very uncomfortable with his touches, she stood up and asked him to take her home. They arrived back home at around 8.45pm.
Court documents did not disclose what happened next, but the man was later charged in court in 2023.
For molesting a child below 14 years old, an offender can be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments.
The man cannot be caned as he is above the age of 50.

 

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Ex-maid barred from working in S’pore for breaching work pass conditions; was acquitted of false declaration charge​

Ms Alka was issued a stern warning in August by the Ministry of Manpower for breaching her work pass conditions. PHOTOS: ALKA, LIANHE ZAOBAO

Joyce Lim
Senior Correspondent

Sep 05, 2024

SINGAPORE – A former domestic helper from India, who was acquitted of a false declaration charge in July, has been barred from working in Singapore.
Ms Alka, 44, who goes by one name, was issued a stern warning in August by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for breaching her work pass conditions.
The breach involved her failure to “reside at her employer’s residential address, as stated in her work permit”, said an MOM spokesman in response to queries from The Straits Times.
“Alka has been barred from future employment in Singapore,” the spokesman added.
The Indian national was repatriated on Aug 16.
Ms Alka told ST in a phone interview from Delhi that the warning had dashed her hopes of returning to Singapore for work.
“I am devastated,” she said. “My parents have passed away, and I don’t have family in India. My family is in Singapore. I got married in Singapore on Aug 5. I have been staying in Singapore for the past 10 years.”

She was shocked to learn of the ban, particularly as it came after what seemed to be a legal victory for her in July.
“I requested to stay in Singapore to work,” said Ms Alka. “But the MOM officer told me I need to go back to India and apply for a new work pass to return to Singapore for work.”
She first came here to work as a domestic worker in 2014. In October 2017, her then employer told her that her services were no longer required.

She told her boyfriend in Singapore that she wished to remain here, and he subsequently introduced her to Mr Anil Tripathi.
Ms Alka struck an agreement with Mr Anil that she would cook for him three to four times a week, and he would be listed as her employer, allowing her to remain in Singapore with her boyfriend.
On Dec 22, 2017, Ms Alka signed and submitted an application form for a domestic helper to MOM, declaring that Mr Anil was her employer.

On Oct 15, 2018, she was arrested by MOM officers for working as a sales assistant at a clothing store in Serangoon Road.
Ms Alka pleaded guilty to working as a sales assistant without a valid work pass, and was fined $4,500. She did not appeal against the fine.
She was also charged with making a false declaration in her work pass application, declaring that she was employed by Mr Anil as a foreign domestic worker when she “did not have the intention to be employed as such”.
The offence carries a fine of up to $20,000 or a jail sentence of up to two years, or both.
In 2023, Ms Alka was convicted and sentenced to 10 weeks’ jail.
She appealed against her conviction and was acquitted by the High Court on July 25, 2024.
In her appeal, her lawyer, Mr Sarbrinder Singh of Sanders Law, argued that there was no false declaration as Ms Alka had indeed worked for Mr Anil, albeit in an informal capacity.
High Court Justice Aedit Abdullah said the definition of employment was broad enough to cover occasional cooking or other minor work, done for no pay. He also found that the evidence presented during the trial did not support the charge.
In the light of the High Court’s decision to acquit Ms Alka, Mr Singh urged the authorities to review the migrant domestic worker application form so that an applicant has a clear understanding of the seriousness of the declaration and the precise scope of the required employment in Singapore when applying for a job.
Said the MOM spokesman: “(We) constantly review our legislation and processes to remain responsive to the changing landscape. Where necessary, we will make changes after careful deliberation and consultation with stakeholders.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

2 men jailed for trying to help Malaysian e-cigarette smuggler flee Singapore​

The foreign national, who had his passport seized, tried to return to Malaysia by hiding in the cargo compartment of a lorry on July 19. PHOTOS: ICA
Andrew Wong

Sep 06, 2024

SINGAPORE – Two Malaysian nationals attempted to help a fellow countryman escape Singapore’s borders illegally through Tuas Checkpoint by hiding him in the cargo compartment of a lorry.
This was after the man had his passport seized after he was caught transporting e-cigarette devices and related products into Singapore.
On Sept 6, Sharan Raj Loganathan, 26, and Ramesh Munusamy, 44, pleaded guilty to their attempts to help Mohamad Izuwan Che Mohd Abd Khoha exit Tuas Checkpoint illegally on July 19.
Both Sharan and Ramesh were sentenced to 10 months’ jail.
Court documents show that Izuwan, 32, had been caught for transporting more than 11,900 e-cigarette pods and 8,657 e-cigarette devices into Singapore on July 17.
He then tried to return to Malaysia by hiding in the cargo compartment of Ramesh’s lorry two days later, on July 19.
On Aug 28, Izuwan was sentenced to seven months’ jail for his offences.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said Sharan and Ramesh had known each other since 2022 as they had worked as lorry drivers at N. A. Raku Transport Agency.
Some time in May, Sharan learnt that Ramesh needed money as the latter had asked him for delivery jobs to earn extra income.
On July 18, an acquaintance, referred to as Boy Anne, contacted Sharan while he was in Malaysia, asking if Sharan knew anyone willing to sneak Izuwan out of Singapore illegally for RM2,300 (S$690).
Sharan then asked Ramesh if he was keen to take up the job. ICA said both men knew Izuwan was not allowed to leave Singapore as he was under investigation for importing e-cigarettes into the Republic. Izuwan’s passport had also been seized by the Health Sciences Authority.
Ramesh agreed to the job and also agreed to pay Sharan RM300 for the referral. Sharan was also given a commission fee by Boy Anne for coordinating the plan.

On July 19, Ramesh picked up Izuwan from a bus stop in Tuas around 9am. He returned to Tuas Checkpoint around noon with Izuwan hidden in the cargo compartment.
Both Ramesh and Izuwan were arrested when ICA officers inspected the lorry.
Sharan was arrested on July 30, after the authorities established his role in the plan.
Those found guilty of helping others to leave Singapore’s borders illegally can be jailed for at least six months and fined up to $6,000.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Cleaner who broke into house and tried to rape woman gets jail, caning​

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

Sep 16, 2024

SINGAPORE – A 21-year-old cleaner broke into a two-storey house in the middle of the night in 2022 while he was drunk, undeterred even after he cut his hands on barbed wire while climbing over a fence.
After getting into the house through an unlocked window, Andrew Kumaravel searched for money. He then entered a bedroom and tried to rape the 58-year-old woman sleeping there.
She woke up and put up a struggle, and he fled the house, leaving behind his shorts and underwear.
The Malaysian man was arrested on the same day after he was traced through fingerprint analysis.
On Sept 16, Kumaravel, now 23, was sentenced to 9½ years’ jail and six strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted rape, a charge of housebreaking, and a charge of voyeurism for an unrelated incident.
Four other charges, including a charge of voluntarily causing hurt to the woman, were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Claire Poh told the court that on the night of April 14, 2022, Kumaravel was drinking beer and watching pornographic videos on his mobile phone in a storeroom at his workplace, which was in an industrial building separated by fencing from the house next to it.

When he stepped out for a smoke, he spotted the victim changing clothes in her bedroom.
Shortly before 2am the next morning, he decided to break into the house. He first climbed over a barbed wire fence, cutting his hands in the process, then climbed over the metal fence of the house.
As the door to the house was locked, he tested multiple windows and eventually found one that was unlocked.

Once inside, he searched for money on the first floor, then decided to go up to the second floor, knowing that the victim was in one of the rooms.
After opening the door to her room, he took off his shorts and underwear, and placed them by the doorway with his other personal belongings.
He then climbed onto the woman’s bed and restrained her. The woman, who had woken up by this point, shouted and struggled with him on her bed.
Kumaravel choked the victim and tried to pull down her shorts, but she resisted and grabbed his neck.
He bit her finger, and in defence, she bit him on the arm. At some point during the scuffle, he intentionally hit her in the eye.
The woman’s mother, awoken by the commotion, then shouted, asking why there was so much noise.

Fearing he would be caught, Kumaravel stopped struggling with the victim and ran out of her room.
He left the house the same way he had entered, returned to his workplace at about 2.30am, and threw his T-shirt into a dustbin there.
The victim called the police at about 2.40am on April 15. Kumaravel was arrested at about 11.40am that day.
The attempted rape was committed while he was on bail for voyeurism.
Kumaravel used to live with several other people in a unit with just one toilet for them to use.
One of his housemates, a 44-year-old Malaysian woman, spotted his mobile phone placed on a pipe while she was showering on March 5, 2022. She made a police report two days later.
Kumaravel was arrested on March 8, 2022, and released on personal bond. His phone was seized by the police.
Aside from the recorded video of the complainant, the phone contained another video of two other housemates in the shower on March 6, 2022.