She weighed just 24kg when she died: Ex-traffic cop jailed 10 years in maid abuse case that shocked Singapore

Malay Mail

6 days ago

SINGAPORE, July 17 — Suspended police officer Kevin Chelvam was sentenced to 10 years' jail today for his role in the fatal abuse of Myanmar domestic worker Piang Ngaih Don, in one of Singapore's worst maid abuse cases.
According to The Straits Times, the 46-year-old former traffic police officer was convicted of four charges, including abetting his then-wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, to voluntarily cause grievous hurt by starvation.
He was also found guilty of voluntarily causing hurt, giving false information to police, and tampering with crucial evidence.
Chelvam, who was Piang's legal employer, failed to stop the prolonged abuse, even though he lived in the same Bishan flat and witnessed the brutality.
In one instance captured on CCTV, Chelvam was seen grabbing the maid by her hair and lifting her off the ground.
District Judge Teoh Ai Lin, in sentencing him, said: 'His actions in joining the assault were dehumanising.'
She also highlighted his duty to protect the victim, stating, 'He should have stopped the abuse… instead, he too assaulted her.'
Chelvam's final charge of using criminal force was withdrawn, resulting in a discharge amounting to an acquittal. This means he cannot be charged again for that offence.
The judge noted that Chelvam, as a police officer, understood the importance of evidence but dismantled the CCTV recorder in a failed attempt to cover up the abuse.
'If the CCTV footage had not been recovered, Piang Ngaih Don could have taken to her grave what happened during her last days,' she reportedly said.
Piang, 24, weighed only 24kg and had a body mass index of 11.3 when she died on July 26, 2016, after 14 months of repeated abuse.
Prosecutors said she was often fed only water-soaked bread and stole seasoning to survive. She died from brain injury and severe trauma.
Gaiyathiri was sentenced to 30 years' jail in 2021, while her mother Prema S. Naraynasamy received 17 years in 2023. Both pleaded guilty.
Chelvam, who has been suspended from the police since 2016, will begin serving his sentence on July 31. His bail remains set at S$25,000 (RM82,557).