SINGAPORE: A 26-year-old man tried to hit a police officer with his car after ignoring instructions to get out of his car in a Yishun car park on Wednesday (Feb 9), police said.

One of the officers managed to leave to avoid being hit and the suspect then sped away, police said at a news conference on Thursday.

The man was arrested later in the day after being found at 3 Ang Mo Kio Street.

The incident came after the man was identified as a suspect in connection with the cheating case.

Police received a report on Tuesday from a 28-year-old victim who posted online hoping to sell his luxury watch for S$35,000.

The man replied to the victim’s post and they met at Sengkang Plaza.

After examining the victim’s watch, the man decided not to proceed with the purchase and allegedly returned a similar watch to the victim, police said.

After returning home, the victim realized the man had returned another watch, police said. They added that the watch had a different serial number and was believed to be a counterfeit.

He will be charged with cheating in court on Friday.

The man will also be investigated for reckless behaviour and driving disqualification.

Cheating is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine.

Reckless conduct is punishable by a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to S$2,500, or both. The offence of driving while disqualified is punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.

SINGAPORE: The former chief executive of railway components maker Midas Holdings was charged on Thursday (Feb 10) with failing to perform his duties as a director.

According to a release from the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Patrick Chew Hwa Kwang allegedly failed to exercise reasonable oversight over the finances of Midas’ subsidiaries, Jilin Midas Aluminium and Luoyang Midas Aluminium.

He has allegedly relinquished control of the legal representative seals of the two subsidiaries in order to carry out loans in the names of the two companies or act as loan guarantor.

The value of loans and guarantees signed between 2015 and 2017 was CNY159.5 million (S$33.7 million) and CNY264.5 million, respectively.

Midas announced the discovery of these loans and guarantees in February 2018.

Under the Companies Act, Zhou faces up to 12 months in jail or a fine of up to S$5,000 for the offence.

SINGAPORE: A man was sentenced to six months in jail on Wednesday (Feb. 9) for falsifying his payroll in order to get a credit card with a higher limit on bitcoin purchases.

Unable to pay off his credit card debts, 48-year-old Lim Mingzhong eventually declared bankruptcy, leading to an internal bank investigation that uncovered his crimes.

Last month, he pleaded guilty to one count of forgery for the purpose of cheating.

Lim started investing in bitcoin on an online cryptocurrency exchange for extra income in early 2020. He started applying for credit cards from various banks to get more funds to buy bitcoin.

Around March 2020, he decided to apply for a credit card from Citibank. He was working for Green Engineers Singapore on a monthly salary of S$6,000.

However, he did not declare the income on his credit card application, instead using a pay stub he had previously received from his former employer, Mediacorp, as a template in October 2019. The pay slip shows a monthly salary of S$8,100.

Lim produced two pay slips and edited them to look like they were sent to him by Green Engineers Singapore in January and February 2020.

He used these fake pay slips to submit a credit card application and successfully tricked Citibank into issuing him a credit card with a limit of S$32,400, four times his declared monthly salary.

If Lim declares his actual monthly income, his credit limit will be changed to S$24,000.

Immediately after receiving the credit card, Lim used it to buy S$31,472.13 worth of Bitcoin on the eToro platform on 26 March 2020.

He did not make any payments for the payment and Citibank cancelled his card on June 15, 2020. As at 17 August 2020, the outstanding balance on the card was S$33,638.95 including interest. Lim’s forgery cost Citibank S$9,638.95, court documents show.

His guilt was uncovered after Citibank investigated Lim for failing to pay his credit card debts and to verify his salary with a Singapore-based green engineer.

After the bank reported the case, Lin declared bankruptcy because he could not repay the credit card debts of Citibank and other banks.

At the last hearing, Lim said he was “a little bit lost” over his involvement in cryptocurrencies, losing S$300,000 to S$400,000.

He said it took him a long time to find a job, but he is currently earning S$8,000 a month and six months in jail will cause him to “lose everything again”.

The case had previously been adjourned for restitution, but he was unable to do so. He was allowed to start serving his sentence on April 1 to resolve some work issues.

He could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined if he faked the cheating.

SINGAPORE: Thirty-four people are under investigation for various crimes after a week-long multi-agency enforcement operation in Geylang, police said on Tuesday (Feb 8).

A total of 19 men and 15 women, aged 25 to 79, are being investigated.

Police said the operation took place from January 17 to January 21.

It is supported by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Central Drug Enforcement Agency (CNB), Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Singapore Customs, Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

“Continuous and strong law enforcement is the key to ensuring the safety of Geylang Lorong and requires the continued efforts of various law enforcement agencies,” said Li Tingwei, commander of the Geylang Neighborhood Police Centre and deputy police chief.

“The police will continue to work closely with our community partners to prevent, deter and detect illegal activities in Geylang Lorong.”

Unregistered health products, electronic vaporizers and prohibited cigarettes
Two men, aged 29 and 43, were found in possession of substances believed to be unregistered health products, including various cough syrups and sex-enhancing products.

Electronic vaporizers and accessories were allegedly recovered from the men. Substances with a street value of close to S$9,000 were also seized.

Unregistered health products seized by police. (Photo: Singapore Police Force)
The individuals will be investigated for various offences under the Health Products Act and the Tobacco (Advertising and Sales Control) Act.

If convicted of importing, manufacturing and/or supplying unregistered health products, they could each be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$50,000, or both.

Persons convicted of selling, offering to sell, possessing for sale, importing or distributing electronic carburetors and related accessories can be fined up to S$10,000, jailed for up to 6 months, or both for a first offense For a second or subsequent offence, a fine of up to S$20,000 and a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.

In addition, offenders who possess, use and purchase such items will be fined up to S$2,000.

During the enforcement action against duty-unpaid cigarettes, a total of 30 packs and 15 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized.

A 78-year-old man is assisting an investigation into allegedly handling duty-unpaid cigarettes. Two other men, 33 and 54, were fined up to S$2,500 for possessing duty-unpaid cigarettes.

Purchasing, selling, transporting, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing with dutiable goods is considered a serious offence under the Customs Act and the GST Act. Violators can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, jailed up to 6 years, or both.

Cash worth S$950, computer terminals used for crime, and various gambling-related paraphernalia were seized.

Vice-related activities
Three men, aged 27 to 34, were arrested on suspicion of membership in an illegal society during an operation against illegal activity and social injustice.

In an enforcement action against illegal gambling, a total of five men and women, aged 42 to 62, were found to be engaged in gambling-related activities at a business unit located along Ubisoft Avenue 3.

They were subsequently arrested on suspicion of involvement in offences under the Remote Gambling Act.

Anyone convicted in Singapore of using remote communication gambling and using remote gambling services not provided by other exempt persons is liable to a fine of up to S$5,000, imprisonment of up to 6 months, or both .

A person who assists in the provision of illegal remote gambling services for others can be fined between S$20,000 and S$200,000, jailed for up to five years, or both.

A total of 10 women aged between 32 and 48 were charged under the Women’s Charter at a hotel along Geylang Lorong 22 and a massage parlor along Geylang Road in an enforcement action against prostitution-related activities and arrested.

During the operation, an allegedly unlicensed “KTV concept” branch was found inside a commercial unit on Geylang Road.

Allegedly, a total of five men and four women, aged between 25 and 47, were found singing karaoke and drinking in the unit. One of the men, 65, is believed to be the operator of the shop and will be investigated under the Public Entertainment Act and the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act.

The operator and five customers are also being investigated for violating COVID-19 regulations. If convicted, they could be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

The police said they have “zero tolerance” for illegal activities that threaten public safety, peace and good order in the community, and will continue to work closely with relevant stakeholders to conduct regular law enforcement operations to crack down on illegal gambling, crackdowns in various nightlife venues and victims. A welcome rally hotspot for secret society activities and illegal activities.

“Strict action will also be taken against those who blatantly disregard the law. The public is also advised to avoid secret society activities and report immediately to the police those who engage in such illegal activities,” they said.