Sinkies killed/murdered by CECAs

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Jail for lorry driver who looked at phone while driving, causing accident that killed law professor​

Natarajan Mohanraj was sentenced to two years and a month in jail, and a fine of $2,000 on Aug 29.

Summary

• Natarajan Mohanraj was driving a lorry on July 7, 2023 when he looked at his mobile phone before the accident occurred.
• The vehicle later struck a car driven by Emeritus Professor Tan Yock Lin, a senior National University of Singapore law professor.
• Prof Tan was rushed to hospital where he died of multiple injuries.

Aug 29, 2025

SINGAPORE – A construction worker with a history of careless driving was sent a notice from the Traffic Police in June 2023 ordering him to surrender his driving licence before July 25 that year.

On July 7, about two weeks before the deadline, Natarajan Mohanraj was driving a lorry when he looked at his mobile phone and the vehicle struck a car.

The driver of the car, Emeritus Professor Tan Yock Lin, 70, a senior National University of Singapore law professor, was taken to hospital and died later that day.

Despite this, Natarajan, 28, continued to drive another lorry on two separate occasions in 2024 after his licence was revoked.

The Indian national was sentenced to two years and a month in jail, and a fine of $2,000 on Aug 29, 2025.

He had pleaded guilty to several charges, including causing another person’s death while driving a vehicle without due care.

He was also prohibited from driving any motor vehicle in Singapore for life.

On July 7, 2023, Natarajan was driving a lorry along Upper Thomson Road when he looked at his mobile phone that was placed in a holder on the front windscreen and failed to notice that the vehicle was veering right towards a centre divider.

“The lorry mounted the kerb of the centre divider, smashed through the green metal railings, and uprooted two trees before emerging onto the opposite (side) of the road, directly against the flow of oncoming traffic and in its path,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Sunil Nair.


The lorry struck Prof Tan’s car, causing the car to spin and hit the front of a nearby van, which veered to the left.

The van then hit the side of a bus, the court heard.

Prof Tan, who suffered fractures to his skull, was trapped inside his severely damaged car and Singapore Civil Defence Force officers took about an hour to get him out.

He was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and died of multiple injuries shortly before noon that day.

The driver of the van, a 28-year-old man, suffered injuries including fractured ribs.

The road was closed for almost three hours to get Prof Tan out of the car, remove the damaged vehicles and clear the debris, DPP Nair said.


Court documents revealed that Natarajan re-offended after this fatal accident and continued driving on two separate occasions in 2024 even though his licence had already been revoked by then.

On the first occasion on Jan 3, 2024, he drove another man’s lorry with the latter’s permission and a traffic police officer later stopped him as he was not wearing a seatbelt.

Without the owner’s permission, Natarajan drove the same lorry in May that year before a traffic police officer stopped him.

On Aug 29, defence lawyer Sarbrinder Singh from Sanders Law urged the court to sentence his client to 16 months’ jail and a fine of $2,000.

Stressing that Natarajan was driving within the speed limit before the 2023 fatal crash, Mr Singh added: “While extremely unfortunate, the accident was the result of a momentary lapse of judgment and there is no evidence that the accused had been driving in a careless manner for a prolonged period of time.”

The lawyer also said that his client, who has since lost his job, is remorseful and had fully cooperated with the authorities in their investigation.

 

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Aug 15, 202

Businesswoman dies after alleging workplace injury scam in final Facebook post​

Jane's wake is held at St. Joseph's Church (Bukit Timah). PHOTO: JANE LEE / FACEBOOK
Jul 22, 2025, 09:14am
Photos of Jane Lee's obituary surfaced days after her Facebook post.

A small business owner has died a day after publishing a pair of Facebook posts alleging that she was the target of a workplace injury scam.

In her posts on July 18, Jane Lee accused a former employee and the woman's husband of deliberately staging a fall just before her employment contract ended.

Lee, who owned Sumo Salad in Holland Village, said that this was an attempt by the couple to file a false work injury claim.


The mother of two also claimed that the couple had used similar tactics before, possibly with the help of a legal firm that, she alleged, advised foreign workers on how to exploit injury claims for compensation.

Lee added that she had video footage contradicting the employee's claims and had observed the woman walking and carrying out daily tasks with ease, only to exaggerate her condition in front of medical professionals.

"Unfortunately, this appears not to be her first attempt," Lee wrote. "Based on my observations and information I've gathered, I believe this was a carefully orchestrated scheme."


She warned that such tactics were used to target small businesses, especially those with incomplete insurance coverage. If insured, she claimed, the alleged scammers would aim for higher payouts by fabricating more serious injuries.

"I feel extremely unfortunate to have encountered this situation… because of an unfortunate gap in our insurance coverage, we are now being targeted by what I believe to be a fraudulent scheme," she wrote.

In a second post addressed to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Lee urged authorities to investigate the matter, warning that other small business owners might face similar ordeals.

"To my beloved family and children, I'm truly sorry that I couldn't find the strength to face this battle on my own," she wrote in closing.

Jane also thanked her staff, listing several long-time employees by name and informing them she had transferred funds to them as a gesture of gratitude. She named individuals who had worked with her for more than a decade, describing their loyalty and support as deeply meaningful.

When The New Paper visited the wake on July 21, it was a quiet, private affair and mourners declined to speak with TNP.

Tributes poured in on social media, where Lee's posts had begun to circulate. One commenter, who had faced a similar legal battle, wrote: "Every single day felt like a struggle to survive. It hurts deeply that you chose to leave this world. Maybe this was your way of voicing the injustice done to you… You mattered. You still do."

Another added: "I know this tactic. It's common in some industries. They fake injuries to stay longer in Singapore or to get compensation. I hope MOM and SPF really look into it."

In a statement issued at about 8.30pm on July 21, MOM said it has been looking into the alleged fraudulent work injury claim made by a worker employed by EatGreen Pte. Ltd, which operates Sumo Salad.

"We were in communication with Ms Lee and investigations are ongoing. The worker involved was covered under Work Injury Compensation (WIC) Act, and MOM is working with the insurer to assess the validity of the case."

It added that it will not hesitate to take action against any parties found guilty of abusing the WIC system, and extended its deepest condolences to Ms Lee's family during this difficult time.

According to CNA, SPF said investigations into Lee's unnatural death are ongoing.

 

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Aug 12, 2025

Jail and caning for man linked to fatal Orchard Road brawl​

Kavind Raj Kannan and 10 other men had ganged up against the victim at Concorde Hotel in the wee hours of Aug 20, 2023.

Jun 30, 2025

SINGAPORE – A man who was part of a group that beat up a former bouncer of an Orchard Road nightspot in 2023 was sentenced to two years and three months’ jail, and three strokes of the cane on June 30, after pleading guilty to a rioting charge.

Kavind Raj Kannan, 25, and 10 other men – referred to in court documents as the “rioting group” – had ganged up against Mr Mohammad Isrrat Mohd Ismail, then 29, at the Concorde Hotel in the wee hours of Aug 20, 2023.


According to court documents, Mr Isrrat died after he was repeatedly stabbed with his own knife by Asvain Pachan Pillai Sukumaran, a gang member who was part of the rioting group.


Asvain, then 30, has been charged with murder and his case is pending.

The group included Sridharan Elangovan, then 30, and Manojkumar Velayanatham, then 32, who were members of the same secret society as Asvain at the time.

Kavind, who was not a gang member, and some members of the rioting group went to Club Rumours in the wee hours of Aug 20, 2023.

Mr Isrrat and Muhammad Shahrulnizam Osman, then 31, had gone to Club Rumours shortly before 4.50am. Both were former bouncers at the nightspot in Concorde Hotel and Shopping Mall, and Mr Isrrat wanted to pass his wedding invitation cards to his former colleagues.

Both men were members of another secret society at the time.

Zurfaqar Musli, then 34 and the club’s chief bouncer, spotted members of the rioting group and asked Mohamad Zachary Danial Mohamad Azhar, then 23, to retrieve three knives from a locker outside the nightspot.


The latter did so, handing a watermelon knife to Zurfaqar and a bread knife to Shahrulnizam. Zachary armed himself with the third knife, and the trio returned to Club Rumours.

Mr Isrrat also armed himself with a knife.

After the nightspot closed around 6am, Mr Isrrat and Shahrulnizam yelled vulgarities at the men in the rioting group.

An unnamed person from the group then yelled a gang slogan. The group then confronted the pair and a scuffle broke out.

Shahrulnizam used a knife to slash three men. He and Mr Isrrat then ran off, pursued by the rioting group.

Mr Isrrat spotted a friend of the rioting group and stabbed the man’s forehead before fleeing.


Meanwhile, Shahrulnizam, who was ahead of Mr Isrrat, headed to a corridor outside Club Rumours. He then saw the rioting group running after Mr Isrrat.

The men surrounded Mr Isrrat near an escalator before Kavind and five others rained blows on him.

Mr Isrrat managed to get back up and run away, pursued by members of the rioting group.

They cornered him near a glass door exit leading towards Orchard Road and attacked him again.

This time, Kavind held him from the back by his shirt and shoved him into the door, causing him to fall to the ground.

Three other members of the rioting group then kicked Mr Isrrat, who managed to flee to an outdoor area.

Members of the rioting group continued pursuing him while Kavind trailed behind.

One of the men shoved Mr Isrrat, and he fell to the ground, dropping his knife.

Asvain picked up the weapon and stabbed Mr Isrrat repeatedly with it, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Brian Tan.

The rioting group then left the vicinity. Mr Issrat was later taken by ambulance to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he died soon after.

After the stabbing, five men, including Kavind, Asvain and Sridharan, entered Sridharan’s car, which was parked nearby.

The DPP said Asvain then suggested that they flee to Johor Baru, Malaysia.

Sridharan then drove to each man’s house to collect their passports. All five men were arrested at the Woodlands Checkpoint later that day.

On June 30, defence lawyers Amarick Gill and S. Ramanujen pleaded for Kavind to be given up to two years and two months’ jail with caning.

The lawyers from Amarick Gill law firm said: “(Mr Isrrat) himself began the fracas with vulgarities being hurled at the accused’s group.

“Someone in the accused’s group used gang slogans. (But) it was not stated who did so, and it was certainly not Kavind as he was not a secret society member.”

The lawyers added that Kavind was unaware that Mr Isrrat and Shahrulnizam were members of another gang at the time.

Sridharan and Manojkumar were among the members of the rioting group who were earlier sentenced to jail and caning. Zurfaqar, Zachary and Shahrulnizam were also dealt with in court earlier.

 

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Aug 14, 2025

Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard’s death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar​

Mr Shaun Tung Mun Hon died of a head injury after he fell into a 4m-deep pit at the 1-Altitude rooftop bar in 2019, which was then located at One Raffles Place.

Jul 15, 2025

SINGAPORE – To use a gondola for facade cleaning at One Raffles Place, a man and his co-workers removed two floor slabs that covered a 4m-deep pit where the gondola was stored on the rooftop of the 63-storey building.

Freelance facade cleaning worker Suresh Kumar Shanmugam, who was the one giving work-related instructions at the time, failed to put back the slabs.

Tragedy struck on June 9, 2019, when part-time security officer Shaun Tung Mun Hon, 26, fell into the pit near the 1-Altitude rooftop bar. Mr Tung suffered a head injury and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

On July 15, Suresh, 63, who is now unemployed, was sentenced to two months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to performing a negligent act, which endangered the safety of others and contributed to Mr Tung’s death.

Ministry of Manpower prosecutors Melvyn Low and Nur Ishameena stated in court documents that at the time of the offence, restaurant and bar operator Synergyinthesky ran the 1-Altitude rooftop bar.

Property developer OUB Centre (OUBC), which was a co-owner of One Raffles Place, had engaged a firm called A&P Maintenance Services to clean the property’s common areas.

A&P Maintenance then contracted Clearvisions Cleaning Solutions for facade cleaning works.

Clearvisions Cleaning Solutions, in turn, contracted 5 Stars Integrated Facilities, which engaged freelance cleaners including Suresh.

OUBC, Synergyinthesky and A&P Maintenance were dealt with in court in 2023.

The prosecutors said that the cleaning of the building’s exterior started on May 6, 2019, and was expected to be completed by June 22 that year.

The workers had removed floor slabs over the pit so that the gondola could be moved along tracks to where the cleaning works were to be done. The tracks ran along the perimeter of the rooftop.

After doing cleaning works for the day, Suresh and the other workers did not put back the floor slabs to cover the opening, as they wanted to access the main gondola switch located within the pit.

The prosecutors said: “Although investigations revealed that the workers could have accessed the gondola pit and the main switch through an adjacent room, the workers were not aware of this access, as OUBC did not inform them about it.

“This particular floor opening was not closed even after facade cleaning work stopped at the end of each workday, as (Suresh) was of the view that it was inconvenient to reinstate the said floor slabs.”

Court documents stated that Suresh was aware that the uncovered floor opening posed a fall-from-height hazard, and that it was possible to put barricades around the gap. However, he felt that it was unnecessary to do so since only he and his team members were supposed to work in the area.


The prosecutors said this was not in compliance with the code of practice for working safely at heights, which states that for openings that a person may fall through, barriers should be erected around them.

The openings should also be guarded with wire mesh and covered with material strong enough to prevent people from entering.

During a coroner’s inquiry in 2020, the court heard that Mr Tung was shown the pit and briefed about it before he started his shift at the alfresco bar on the day of the fall. Barricades and warning signs had been erected on the second floor of the nightspot, where the pit opening was located, to prevent guests from entering the area.

Then State Coroner Kamala Ponnampalam, however, noted that the barricades could be pushed aside and the area around the pit was not illuminated.

At around 1.30am on June 9, 2019, Mr Tung spotted two unidentified people entering the cordoned-off area. He ran towards them while shining his torch to warn them, but failed to notice the uncovered pit and fell into it.

On July 15, defence lawyer Christopher Bridges asked the court to sentence Suresh to two months’ jail.

The lawyer said: “The accused is fully aware that he should have placed barricades around the opening and accepts full responsibility.”

 

[k1976]

@Truthspeak, come on where are u?

Say something on these good foreigners lah

Come on, dun be shy