Four Indonesian Men Arrested for Unlawful Entry into Singapore and Possession of Uncustomed Goods
Four Indonesian men were arrested by the police for unlawful entry into Singapore and possession of duty-unpaid cigarettes.
The Police Coast Guard (PCG) detected these men entering the country unlawfully from the sea through a small craft and they landed outside the fence line of Pulau Tekong, Singapore on May 17.
In a joint operation with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), the Singapore Police Force have arrested the four Indonesian men, aged between 28 and 50, for unlawful entry and possession of duty-unpaid cigarettes.
The authorities issued a press release and said, "Following the detection, officers from PCG, the Gurkha Contingent, the Special Operations Command and K-9 Unit immediately responded and successfully arrested the four unarmed Indonesian men who disembarked from the craft."
"The men were detained outside the protected areas of Pulau Tekong. They were allegedly found without any travel documents and in possession of uncustomed goods. A total of 2,700 packets of assorted duty-unpaid cigarettes, and one fiber-glass craft, which was fitted with one outboard motor, were seized in the operation," the statement added.
The four Indonesian men have been charged for the offence of unlawful entry into Singapore under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959. In Singapore, the offence carries a jail term of up to six months and a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
The PCG and Singapore Customs are handling the investigations.
Commander of the Police Coast Guard, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Ang Eng Seng said, "The joint operation with ICA exemplifies the collaborative efforts to safeguard Singapore Territorial Waters and Singapore's sea borders against crime and security threats, including unauthorised entry into and departure from Singapore."
"Anyone who plays a part in such unlawful entry or departure from Singapore, such as ferrying the illegal immigrants to or from the place of arrival or departure, will face the full brunt of the law. I would also like to commend all responding officers for their vigilance and exemplary teamwork, which resulted in the swift arrest," concluded the ACP.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
International Business Times
10 hours ago
- International Business Times
Chinese National Jailed in Singapore for Offering S$50 Bribe to ICA Officer After Being Caught with Contraband Cigarettes
A 29-year-old student as sentenced to four weeks' jail on Friday, May 30, after she pleaded guilty to offering bribe of least $50 to an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer. This comes after the Singapore-based foreign student was caught with contraband cigarettes at the Woodlands Checkpoint and tried to get off the hook by offering a bribe to the ICA officer. The officer did not take the money that Chinese national Sun Song had offered her, and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was informed following the incident. She has since paid a $650 fine for failing to declare the smokes she disposed of. According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei, Sun had traveled from Malaysia and was in a private-hire vehicle at the Woodlands Checkpoint when two ICA officers halted it for a regular search at 6.40pm on November 23, 2024. Sun was sitting in the rear passenger seat when one of the officers, Sergeant (2) Nurliana Mohamad Sufian, noticed a white plastic bag with smokes near her. Sun did not respond verbally when asked if she had anything to declare, so ICA officers directed the driver to the side of the road. Sun slipped the white plastic bag into the car boot via the passenger seats. Sgt Nurliana requested that the car boot be opened, and she discovered that the plastic bag contained ten packets of cigarettes. When questioned, the driver denied having these things, according to court records. Sgt Nurliana then turned her attention to Sun, who begged "please" and "help me" in English while rubbing her palms together. DPP Tan said, as quoted by The Straits Times, "The accused then said 'I give you money', took out not less than $50 in cash from her purse and proffered it to Sgt Nurliana. The accused did this as she was worried about being arrested and wanted Sgt Nurliana to let her off." "The driver immediately grabbed the accused's arm upon seeing this. Sgt Nurliana also warned the accused that she had a body-worn camera (and) the accused did not persist," Tan added. The ICA reported the incident to the police at 7 p.m. that day, and the case was later submitted to the CPIB, who arrested Sun on December 10, 2024. Pleading for leniency, defense lawyer Foo Ho Chew told the court that his client is remorseful, adding: "While the form of gratification offered is of low value, a mere $50 in cash, she now realizes the significance and severity of her actions." Foo also said that Sun had cooperated with the authorities during their investigation into the case.
Singapore Law Watch
2 days ago
- Singapore Law Watch
Woman who claimed ‘voices' told her to abuse maid has jail term more than doubled to 7 years
Woman who claimed 'voices' told her to abuse maid has jail term more than doubled to 7 years Source: Straits Times Article Date: 30 May 2025 Author: Selina Lum Anita Damu, 57, was initially sentenced to two years and seven months' jail in 2018. A maid abuser had her prison sentence more than doubled to seven years after she appealed to the High Court to avoid jail time on grounds that she heard voices telling her to hurt the domestic worker. Anita Damu, 57, was initially sentenced to two years and seven months' jail in 2018, after a district judge accepted two psychiatric reports that she had abused the victim under the influence of auditory hallucinations. This explanation has since been rejected by the court. In increasing her sentence on May 26, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said the sentences imposed by the lower court on each of the charges she faced were manifestly inadequate. 'Among other things, they were infected by the erroneous assumption that the acts of abuse were caused by the auditory hallucinations,' he said. Anita, who is also known as Shazana Abdullah, had inflicted serious physical and psychological abuse on her 29-year-old Indonesian helper between 2014 and 2015. The abuse came to light in April 2015 after a Ministry of Manpower officer received information that the maid was being abused by her employer, and visited the flat. The officer reported the matter to the police after observing that the helper had welts on her face, burn marks on her hands and scars on her body. In September 2018, Anita pleaded guilty to five charges: one each for depriving the victim of rest, splashing her with hot water, burning her with an iron, poking her with a metal prong, and hitting her in the face with a slipper. Four other charges – for slapping the victim, pinching her with pliers on two occasions and pushing a cup of hot water towards her mouth – were taken into consideration for sentencing. During a sentencing hearing in October 2018, while her lawyer was arguing for her to be given a fine, she suddenly felt giddy and had to be taken to hospital. In December that year, she was sentenced to two years and seven months' jail. She was also ordered to pay $8,000 in compensation to the victim. Both she and the prosecution appealed against the sentence. The prosecution also appealed for a higher sum of compensation. She has paid an additional $4,000 in voluntary compensation on top of the ordered sum. When the appeal was first heard in 2019, Chief Justice Menon ruled that the psychiatric reports alone were not sufficient for the district judge to conclude that the woman was hearing voices when she abused the maid. The Chief Justice sent the case back to the lower court to determine whether she had suffered from such a condition. He said the offender should take the stand, as it was incumbent on her to present the best evidence available to support her assertion. Before she could testify, Anita was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was assessed to be of unsound mind and unable to understand and follow court proceedings. Since June 2023, she has been confined at the Institute of Mental Health. On Aug 5, 2024, she was certified to be of sound mind and capable of standing trial. She and her family members eventually took the stand to testify before the district judge. In a judgment dated April 2, the district judge concluded that she did not suffer from auditory hallucinations and that her claim was a 'fabrication'. The appeal before Chief Justice Menon resumed on May 26. Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh sought a jail term of four years and seven months, standing by the prosecution's submissions in 2019. He also sought a further $9,588 in compensation. Chief Justice Menon said the sentence sought by the prosecution was 'manifestly insufficient', looking at the totality of the offending behaviour, the harm to the victim and the cruelty towards the victim. He said he will explain his sentencing decision in a written judgment at a later date. He also allowed the prosecution's appeal on the compensation order. This means Anita has to pay a total of $21,588 to the maid. Chief Justice Menon noted that while most foreign domestic workers are well-provided for, occasionally some do not adjust well or have employers who fail to care for them. 'At times, they even fail to accord them the basic dignity due to a fellow human being. Sadly, this is such a case,' he said. He added that it was a 'matter of regret' that the case has taken this long to be resolved, in large part because of the litigation choices made by the accused. Selina Lum is senior law correspondent at The Straits Times. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
New Paper
2 days ago
- New Paper
Woman jailed for offering $50 bribe to ICA officer after being caught with contraband cigarettes
A Singapore-based foreign student, who was caught with contraband cigarettes at the Woodlands Checkpoint, tried to get off the hook by offering a bribe of least $50 to an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer. The officer did not take the money that Chinese national Sun Song had offered her, and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was alerted soon after. On May 30, the 29-year-old offender was sentenced to four weeks' jail after she pleaded guilty to offering the bribe. She has since paid a composition of $650 for failing to declare the cigarettes which have been disposed of. Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei said that Sun had travelled from Malaysia and was at the Woodlands Checkpoint in a private hire vehicle when two ICA officers stopped it for a routine search at around 6.40pm on Nov 23, 2024. Sun was sitting on the rear passenger seat when one of the officers, Sergeant (2) Nurliana Mohamad Sufian spotted a white plastic bag containing cigarettes beside her. Sun did not give a verbal answer when asked if she had anything to declare and the ICA officers told the driver to drive to the side of the road. As he did so, Sun slipped the white plastic bag into the car boot through the passenger seats. Sgt Nurliana asked for the car boot to be opened, and she found that the plastic bag contained 10 packs of cigarettes. The driver denied owning these items when questioned, the court heard. Sgt Nurliana then turned her attention to Sun, who pleaded by saying "please" and "help me" in English while running her palms together. DPP Tan said: "The accused then said 'I give you money', took out not less than $50 in cash from her purse and proffered it to Sgt Nurliana. The accused did this as she was worried about being arrested and wanted Sgt Nurliana to let her off. "The driver immediately grabbed the accused's arm upon seeing this. Sgt Nurliana also warned the accused that she had a body-worn camera (and) the accused did not persist." ICA reported the matter to the police at around 7pm that day and the case was later referred to the CPIB, which arrested Sun on Dec 10, 2024. Pleading for leniency, defence lawyer Foo Ho Chew told the court that his client is remorseful, adding: "While the form gratification offered is of low value, a mere $50 in cash, she now realises the significance and severity of her actions." Mr Foo also said that Sun had cooperated with the authorities during their investigation into the case.
