Man charged over using air miles from KrisFlyer accounts he bought online to make purchases
The man was handed four charges under the Computer Misuse Act. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE
Man charged over using air miles from KrisFlyer accounts he bought online to make purchases
SINGAPORE – An Indonesian man was charged in court on May 29, after he allegedly bought KrisFlyer accounts illegally and used the accumulated air miles to make purchases.
Rizaldy Primanta Putra, 28, was handed four charges under the Computer Misuse Act.
Two of the charges were for the unauthorised access to computer material, and the other two for the unauthorised modification of such material.
According to a police statement, after allegedly accessing the KrisFlyer accounts, Putra flew to Singapore in June 2024 and purportedly used the miles from these accounts to buy a Samsung phone and phone cover from a retail shop in Changi Airport and some pastries from a store in Bugis.
The items amounted to more than $1,600.
After Singapore Airlines lodged a police report on Oct 11, 2024, police officers established Putra's identity, but he had already left the country in September 2024.
Putra returned to Singapore on Jan 11, 2025 and was detained by Airport Police Division officers at Changi Airport.
In court on May 29, Putra indicated his intention to claim trial to the charges.
While he told the court that he has a lawyer, District Judge Wong Li Tein told him that there was no lawyer in court to represent him.
The judge adjourned the case and gave permission for him to make two local phone calls to contact his lawyer and to make arrangements for bail.
He will be released from remand if he is able to arrange for a Singaporean bailor to furnish the $15,000 bail offered by the court.
Putra will return to court on June 5 for a further mention of his case.
For each charge of illegally accessing computer material, he can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $5,000, or both.
He can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $10,000, or both, for each charge of illegally modifying computer material.
In its statement, the police reminded the public to protect their online accounts by enabling multi-factor authentication or two-factor authentication.
'If you notice any suspicious or unauthorised transactions, please report the incident to your service provider or bank immediately,' the police added.
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Singapore Law Watch
3 hours ago
- Singapore Law Watch
S'pore has no jurisdiction over Audrey Fang case, can't prosecute suspect if he's deported: MHA
S'pore has no jurisdiction over Audrey Fang case, can't prosecute suspect if he's deported: MHA Source: Straits Times Article Date: 30 May 2025 Author: Aqil Hamzah & Samuel Devaraj The Ministry of Home Affairs said on May 29 that it has communicated its position to its Spanish counterparts, and that the Singapore Government would assist them within the ambit of Singapore's laws. As the fatal stabbing of Singaporean Audrey Fang took place in Spain, Singapore has no jurisdiction over the alleged murder, and thus would not be able to investigate or prosecute Singaporean suspect Mitchell Ong if he were to be deported. This follows the news on May 28 that an attempt to deport the 44-year-old by Spanish immigration authorities had been rejected by a Spanish court. In response to queries, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on May 29 that it has communicated its position to its Spanish counterparts, and that the Singapore Government would assist them within the ambit of Singapore's laws. Law enforcement agencies there, meanwhile, have told the ministry that they are currently prosecuting Ong in Spain. News of the deportation request being blocked was first reported by Spanish daily La Opinion de Murcia on May 28. The deportation request was made by Spain's General Commissariat for Aliens and Borders, a national police agency that manages immigration and border control matters, and was supported by the lawyer representing Ms Fang's family. However, a judge ruled that Ong did not meet the criteria outlined in Spain's laws pertaining to the expulsion of foreigners, one of which states that immediate deportation can take place if an individual has been charged with a crime and is given a jail sentence of fewer than six years, or is given an alternate sentence, such as a fine. As the minimum jail sentence for Ong's potential murder charge is 15 years, the former insurance agent does not meet this criterion. Ong's lawyer, Ms Maria Jesus Ruiz de Castaneda, had told The Straits Times earlier in May that she is opposing the request. The Spanish immigration authority had also requested that Ong be banned from returning to Spain for 10 years, if the deportation had gone through. Ms Ruiz de Castaneda had earlier told Spanish media that an expulsion would be a violation of the rule of law and international treaties Spain has signed and ratified. 'He is involved in ongoing criminal proceedings in Spain, where he must be tried with due process,' she said. 'Expulsion would be contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights, the principle of non-refoulement and Spain's commitments against the death penalty.' She had previously called for the case to be dismissed, saying that all necessary evidence had to be examined and that Ong 'firmly and consistently' insisted he did not kill Ms Fang. Ms Fang, a 39-year-old architect, was found dead near a parking space for lorries in the town of Abanilla on April 10, 2024. She left Singapore on April 4 to travel alone to Xabia in the Valencia region of Spain, and was supposed to return eight days later, but became uncontactable on April 10. Her body was found with knife wounds and head trauma. Ong was arrested six days later. Testimonies from two of Ms Fang's friends on June 26, 2024, said Ms Fang and Ong had met on a social dating network. Her family's lawyer said she had told her friends she was meeting Ong during her holiday in Spain. In March, La Opinion reported that DNA from two men was found on her clothes, raising the possibility that more than one person was involved in her death. Ong, meanwhile, was also found to have been nominated as the sole beneficiary of Ms Fang's Central Provident Fund savings, with the accounts reportedly containing about $498,000. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
Singapore Law Watch
3 hours 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
12 hours ago
- New Paper
Woman who claimed 'voices' told her to abuse maid has jail term more than doubled to 7 years
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.
