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India Today
7 days ago
- India Today
Indian-origin cop jailed in Singapore in house help's abuse-death case
An Indian-origin police officer was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Thursday over his involvement in a fatal house help abuse case in Singapore. The 24-year-old house help was starved for 35 days and weighed just 24 kg at the time of her death. Doctors who testified in court said her condition resembled patients with advanced cancer or severe Chelvam, who was suspended from the Singapore Police Force in 2016, was convicted on a total of four charges. The help, Piang Ngaih Don, had died of a brain injury with severe blunt trauma to her neck, according to a report in Channel News Asia (CNA). She was from former police officer was convicted of one count of abetting his then-wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan to voluntarily cause grievous hurt by starving the help, according to a Singaporean daily, The Straits Times. Chelvam, who was the maid's registered employer, was also convicted of one count of voluntarily causing hurt by grabbing her hair and lifting her off the ground, the newspaper other charges included providing false information to the police and tampering with evidence by dismantling a CCTV recorder from his Judge Teoh Ai Lin said that Chelvam knew the help was not being given enough to eat in the 35 days before her death."He had time and opportunity to stop the abuse, but he did not," CNA quoted the judge as ex-wife Gaiyathiri and her mother, Prema S Naraynasamy, are currently serving 30 years and 17 years in jail, respectively, for their roles in the case, CNA WAS AWARE OF CCTV FOOTAGE's VALUE IN THE CASEThe judge highlighted the crucial role of CCTV footage as key evidence, saying the police officer was aware of its court, however, granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal on a fifth charge of using criminal and Gaiyathiri got divorced in 2020. In 2021, Gaiyathiri, then 41, was sentenced to 30 years in prison – the longest jail term meted out in a maid abuse case, according to The Straits her mother Naraynasamy, then 64, was handed a 17-year jail term over her role in the case in 2023. Both women had pleaded guilty to their charges, The Straits Times testified that the maid's limbs were like skin wrapped around bone.- Ends
The Hindu
17-07-2025
- The Hindu
Indian-origin former policeman jailed for role in house help's death in Singapore
A Singapore court on Thursday (July 17, 2025) sentenced an Indian-origin person to 10 years imprisonment for his role in the fatal abuse of a 24-year-old house help, who died after months of starvation and physical torture by his ex-wife and mother-in-law. Kevin Chelvam, 46, a former police officer, was convicted on four charges, including voluntarily causing hurt to Piang Ngaih Don, abetting grievous hurt by starvation, providing false information to the police, and tampering with evidence by dismantling a CCTV recorder from his home. According to a Channel News Asia report, Don, who hailed from Myanmar, died on July 26, 2016, from brain injuries caused by repeated blunt trauma. Severely malnourished, she weighed just 24 kilograms at the time of her death, it said. District Judge Teoh Ai Lin noted that Chelvam was her legal employer but did nothing while Don was regularly abused by his then-wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, and mother-in-law, Prema S Narayanasamy. Both women are already serving prison sentences of 30 and 17 years, respectively, for their roles in the case. The court also found that he actively removed the CCTV recorder containing crucial evidence and misled investigators. Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Teh said the footage recovered from the flat showed Chelvam present during several instances of abuse and accused him of endorsing the denial of food to the victim, which contributed to her inability to survive the beatings. The court, however, granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal on a fifth charge of using criminal force.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Time of India
Indian-origin ex-cop jailed in Singapore: 10 years for fatal abuse of Myanmar maid; victim starved, weighed just 24kg
Representative photo A Singapore court on Thursday sentenced Kevin Chelvam, a 46-year-old Indian-origin former police officer, to 10 years in jail for his role in the fatal abuse of a 24-year-old house help who died from starvation and torture. Chelvam was found guilty of four charges, including voluntarily causing hurt, abetting grievous hurt by starvation, providing false information to police, and tampering with evidence. The case relates to the death of Piang Ngaih Don, a domestic worker from Myanmar, who died on July 26, 2016, from brain injuries caused by repeated blunt trauma. At the time of her death, she was severely malnourished, weighing just 24 kilograms. According to Channel News Asia, Chelvam, who was Don's legal employer, allowed her to be abused over several months by his ex-wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, and his mother-in-law, Prema S Narayanasamy. Murugayan and Narayanasamy are already serving 30-year and 17-year sentences, respectively, for their roles in the abuse. District Judge Teoh Ai Lin noted Chelvam's failure to intervene or protect Don, despite witnessing her deteriorating condition. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it legal? How to get Internet without paying a subscription? Techno Mag Learn More Undo He also removed the home's CCTV recorder to conceal evidence and lied to investigators. Prosecutor Sean Teh said video footage showed Chelvam present during several episodes of abuse and accused him of supporting the starvation that contributed to Don's death. Chelvam was acquitted on a fifth charge of using criminal force.
Straits Times
17-07-2025
- Straits Times
Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Kevin Chelvam (left) was the last of three people to be convicted for abusing Ms Piang Ngaih Don, who weighed a mere 24kg when she died in 2016. SINGAPORE - Suspended police officer Kevin Chelvam was sentenced to 10 years' jail on July 17 over his involvement in one of Singapore's worst fatal maid abuse cases. After a trial in April, District Judge Teoh Ai Lin convicted the 46-year-old Traffic Police officer of one count of abetting his then wife Gaiyathiri Murugayan to voluntarily cause grievous hurt by starving Ms Piang Ngaih Don, 24. Chelvam, who was her registered employer, was also convicted of one count of voluntarily causing hurt by grabbing the maid's hair and lifting her off the ground. The judge also convicted him of one count each of giving false information to a police officer, and causing evidence relating to the case to disappear by dismantling a CCTV recorder installed in his Bishan flat. Chelvam was the last of three people to be convicted for abusing the Myanmar maid, who weighed a mere 24kg when she died in 2016. She weighed 39kg when she started working for Chelvam's family on May 28, 2015. He has been suspended from the Singapore Police Force since August 2016. Chelvam and Gaiyathiri divorced in 2020. In 2021, Gaiyathiri, then 41, was sentenced to 30 years in prison , the longest jail term meted out here in a maid abuse case. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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When she died, she had a body mass index of only 11.3, far from the healthy range of between 18.5 and 22.9. In earlier proceedings, the judge said Chelvam chose not to intervene despite knowing Gaiyathiri was starving the maid, who stole salt and seasoning to quell her hunger. Doctors who had testified at Chelvam's trial said the maid's limbs looked like they were just skin wrapping bone. They told the court she had a body mass index similar to someone suffering from advanced cancer or from extensive tuberculosis. Ms Piang Ngaih Don died of brain injury on July 26, 2016, with severe blunt trauma to her neck after 14 months of repeated abuse. She was working outside of Myanmar for the first time. Deputy public prosecutors Stephanie Koh, Sean Teh and Cheronne Lim said there were CCTV cameras in the flat to monitor Ms Piang Ngaih Don and the couple's two children, aged one and four at the time. Investigators retrieved 35 days' worth of footage, recorded between June 21 and July 26 in 2016, which showed her being burned with a heated iron, choked, shaken violently, punched, kicked and stomped on. For 11 consecutive nights from July 15, 2016, Gaiyathiri tied one of the maid's hands with string to a window grille at night as the younger woman slept on the bedroom floor. CCTV footage recorded on June 24 that year showed Chelvam grabbing the maid by her hair and lifting her off the ground. It was Gaiyathiri who starved Ms Piang Ngaih Don, with Chelvam failing to ensure she was adequately fed. Prosecutors had said Chelvam feigned ignorance and blamed his former wife. The DPPs added: 'By his inaction, (he) abetted Gaiyathiri's continued starvation of the deceased. '(The domestic helper) had irregular mealtimes, often had only two meals a day, and an entire meal sometimes comprised nothing more than sliced bread soaked in water, and callously left for her by the kitchen sink.' On the day she died, Gaiyathiri and Prema assaulted her from 11.40pm on July 25, 2016, to around 5am the next day. Gaiyathiri contacted a doctor between 9.30am and 9.45am when Ms Piang Ngaih Don remained motionless on the bedroom floor. The doctor found the maid dead and told the women to alert the police. Gaiyathiri contacted her husband, who returned home at around 11.20am. Paramedics pronounced the maid dead at 11.30am. Inside the master bedroom, Prema told Chelvam to dismantle the CCTV recorder, including the hard disk drive, from the power source. He did so and handed the recorder to her. The police were still in the flat in the afternoon when Prema's daughter-in-law arrived to take care of the children. Prema slipped the recorder into the woman's handbag without her knowledge, and told the latter in Tamil: 'I have kept something in your bag; do something with it.' The daughter-in-law then left the flat with her handbag. After 3.30pm, a police officer noticed there were CCTV cameras in the home. The DPPs said Chelvam lied he had removed the CCTV recorder six months ago at his tenant's request. But the couple's four-year-old daughter told the police she had seen CCTV recordings on Gaiyathiri's phone the day before. Chelvam admitted he had handed the recorder to Prema, and the police recovered it that evening.
