SINGAPORE, July 22: A Singapore court on Tuesday sentenced an Indian-origin Malaysian man to 38 months in prison for his role in transporting 1,600 gold bars obtained through a scam and smuggling them into Malaysia.
Turah Raju Subramaniam, 39, admitted to assisting in the transfer of assets linked to criminal activity after collecting the gold bars, valued at more than SGD 412,000 (around USD 319,200), from a Singaporean woman who had been deceived in a government impersonation scam.
Investigators found that Subramaniam had joined a Telegram group advertising “job opportunities” in November last year. Acting on instructions received through the platform, he met the 54 year old victim in Singapore and took possession of the 24K gold bars.
He was then driven to Malaysia in a vehicle arranged by those directing the operation, where he handed over the consignment to the driver before returning.
Authorities later arrested Subramaniam when he attempted to re-enter Singapore a few days after the delivery.
The prosecution argued that the accused knowingly travelled to Singapore to collect valuables derived from fraudulent activity and acted for financial gain without regard for the criminal nature of the operation. Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of between 42 and 44 months.
The court, however, imposed a 38 month jail term after Subramaniam pleaded guilty to helping another person retain benefits obtained through criminal conduct.
Under Singapore law, the offence carries a maximum punishment of 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to SGD 500,000, or both.