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ICA finds suspected overstayer in car boot
By Joanne Chan | Posted: 17 November 2010 1612 hrs
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A suspected overstayer hides in a car boot (photo: ICA) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>
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SINGAPORE: A Chinese national suspected of overstaying in Singapore and a man who tried to smuggle her out of the country were arrested on Tuesday at the Woodlands checkpoint.
The woman had approached an agent to be smuggled out of Singapore for a fee of S$3,000.
The agent then promised a 23-year-old Malaysian man 500 ringgit if he successfully got her out of Singapore.
On Tuesday, the driver picked up the China national at Marsiling station and told her to hide in the car boot.
At the checkpoint, an Immigration and Checkpoint Authority officer noticed that the Malaysian was uneasy and ordered checks, which revealed the hidden passenger.
The driver and his "illegal passenger" were immediately arrested.
Under the Immigration Act, the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a maximum jail term of six months and at least three strokes of the cane.
The penalties for illegal exit is a fine of up to S$2,000, a maximum jail term of six months, or both.
For abetting the illegal exit of the China national, the Malaysian could face a maximum jail term of two years and a fine of up to S$6,000 dollars.
-CNA/wk
