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.

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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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