SINGAPORE - A Singapore Civil Defence Force sergeant who was attending to a call at a house near Holland Road stole a wallet belonging to one of its occupants instead.
Navindran Ravichandran, a Singapore permanent resident who was doing his national service at the time, took the $500 wallet containing credit cards and about $250 in cash two years ago.
On Thursday (Nov 15), the 22-year-old Malaysian, who has since completed his national service, pleaded guilty to two charges of acting on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender as well as one count each of theft, assault and impersonating a police officer.
He was sentenced to 21 months and two weeks' jail, six strokes of the cane and a fine of $6,500.
The court heard that at around 7.20pm on Nov 24, 2016, police received a call about smoke coming out of an air-conditioning vent at a house in Oei Tiong Ham Park.
Navindran, who was the section commander of his team, was sent to the scene with his colleagues. He stole the wallet while conducting investigations. Court documents did not reveal the outcome of the incident.
He was stopped for a spot check at Kent Ridge MRT station on March 6 last year and found in possession of the stolen credit cards, which he never used.
The court also heard that, in a separate incident, Navindran was drunk when he approached Indian national Periyaiah Arjunan, 28, in Sophia Road on Feb 6 last year, pretending to be a policeman.
He asked Mr Periyaiah for his identification documents and the older man was assaulted when he refused to hand them over.
The Indian national did not seek medical attention, the court heard.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ho Lian-Yi said that Navindran later decided to work for a loan shark, known only as Adrian, setting fire to the main doors of two flats on June 23 this year.
Navindran surrendered himself at the Ang Mo Kio North Neighbourhood Police Centre five days later after finding out that officers had been looking for him.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...stealing-wallet-from-house-he-was-checking-on
Navindran Ravichandran, a Singapore permanent resident who was doing his national service at the time, took the $500 wallet containing credit cards and about $250 in cash two years ago.
On Thursday (Nov 15), the 22-year-old Malaysian, who has since completed his national service, pleaded guilty to two charges of acting on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender as well as one count each of theft, assault and impersonating a police officer.
He was sentenced to 21 months and two weeks' jail, six strokes of the cane and a fine of $6,500.
The court heard that at around 7.20pm on Nov 24, 2016, police received a call about smoke coming out of an air-conditioning vent at a house in Oei Tiong Ham Park.
Navindran, who was the section commander of his team, was sent to the scene with his colleagues. He stole the wallet while conducting investigations. Court documents did not reveal the outcome of the incident.
He was stopped for a spot check at Kent Ridge MRT station on March 6 last year and found in possession of the stolen credit cards, which he never used.
The court also heard that, in a separate incident, Navindran was drunk when he approached Indian national Periyaiah Arjunan, 28, in Sophia Road on Feb 6 last year, pretending to be a policeman.
He asked Mr Periyaiah for his identification documents and the older man was assaulted when he refused to hand them over.
The Indian national did not seek medical attention, the court heard.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ho Lian-Yi said that Navindran later decided to work for a loan shark, known only as Adrian, setting fire to the main doors of two flats on June 23 this year.
Navindran surrendered himself at the Ang Mo Kio North Neighbourhood Police Centre five days later after finding out that officers had been looking for him.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...stealing-wallet-from-house-he-was-checking-on
