CNB Officer Charged for Beating Up Drug Suspect to Force Him to Confess

Movies may occasionally be based off real-life notions…

But they are vastly different in their own rights.

See, while the idea of a young rookie cop forcibly extracting a confession from a drug suspect may sound like a a pivotal moment in a movie…

It’s far from being so in real life, where penalties could involve actual jail time.

CNB Officer Charged for Beating Up Drug Suspect to Force Him to Confess

Legal proceedings revolving around 33-year-old officer Vengedesh Raj Nainar Nagarajan from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) have commenced after he was accused of assaulting a drug suspect on 2 January, 2017.

He faces three charges of assault against the victim, Sivabalan Janniappan.

The trial commenced yesterday (23 November), and is set to continue for the rest of the week.

Janniappan had been found concealing drugs in a raincoat bag more than three years ago.

He was apprehended at Woodlands Checkpoint.

Despite giving a statement to CNB officers at around 4:15 am, he reportedly denied knowledge of having drugs in his possession.

At this point, the team of CNB officers proceeded to request for assistance from other CNB teams.

Vengedesh’s team would eventually arrive at the Woodlands Checkpoint office, nearly two hours after the statement was given.

Court documents revealed that he went on to assault the victim between 5.58am and 6.14am, between 8.35am and 8.43am, and between 9.28am and 9.30am in the CNB office’s toilet.

After the alleged assaults, Janniappan spoke up against Vengedesh, and the former was examined by doctors in the evening of the purported incident.

Internal investigations were then launched by CNB.

Vengedesh is reported to have held the rank of corporal during the time of the purported incident.

Violation Of CNB Protocols

In court, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Han Ming Kuang stated that the prosecution will prove that Vengedesh had assaulted the victim on his accord – an offence that was in violation of CNB rules and the law.

18 witnesses will be called to testify, and evidence – including closed-circuit television footage (CCTV) and Vengedesh’s statements – will be aired.

If convicted of confession-driven assault, he could face a jail term of up to seven years, as well as a fine or caning.

According to TODAYonline, Vengedesh was also supposed to face three charges of forcefully criticising police officers, and the consumption of alcohol in public after 10:30 p.m. These were, however, “stood down for the trial”.

Forced Confessions

Though interrogations of a violent nature are relatively rare in Singapore, they are far from being non-existent around the globe.

In October 2019, Ukranian cops were caught beating up two detainees in a bid to force a confession.

Apart from the use of truncheons, methods such as psychological pressure, threats and humiliation were also practiced by the officers.

And in Feb 2019, Indonesian police officers were documented using an actual live snake to interrogate a suspect.

At one point, the officers could be seen attempting to stuff the two-metre-long snake into the terrified suspect’s mouth as others laughed in the background.

Featured Image: Donal Keane / Shutterstock.com