A 21-year-old Malaysian man who sometimes pretended to be a police officer while collecting cash and valuables from scam victims in Singapore has been sentenced to jail and caning.
Sugumaran Mohan was sentenced on Wednesday, 1 October, to three years, two months and two weeksâ jail, as well as two strokes of the cane.
According to The Straits Times, he had pleaded guilty to dealing with the benefits of crime. The case involved four female victims, aged between 38 and 73, who handed him cash and valuables worth nearly S$200,000 in total.
He Worked as a Runner for a Scam Syndicate
Court proceedings heard that Sugumaran was looking for work before 6 January 2026 when he was introduced to another Malaysian man, 28-year-old Kathiresan Krishnan.
Kathiresan allegedly told him about a courier job that involved collecting and delivering a companyâs money in Singapore. Sugumaran was promised RM2,000 a month, which was about S$627.
Kathiresanâs case is still pending.
Court documents stated that Sugumaran was later told that a person known only as âJackâ would give him instructions through Telegram.
He was also told to dress formally, cover part of his face with a mask and avoid showing any tattoos while doing the job.
According to court documents cited by The Straits Times, Sugumaran suspected that the work was illegal or involved lying to obtain money. However, he did not check what company he was supposedly working for or what business it carried out.
Four Victims Handed Over Cash and Valuables
Between 6 January and 28 January, Sugumaran met four victims on separate occasions in Singapore.
The women handed him cash and valuables, including gold jewellery. Each victim lost items worth between S$10,029 and S$132,206.
He met victims at locations including Clementi and Sengkang.
In some cases, he identified himself using a code word. In others, he posed as a police officer.
After collecting the items, Sugumaran handed them to unknown people and returned to Malaysia after completing the tasks.
Fifth Woman Became Suspicious
Sugumaranâs offences came to light after he entered Singapore on 29 January to meet another woman in Waterloo Street.
He approached the 38-year-old woman and pretended to be an officer from the Singapore Police Force.
He also showed her what he claimed was an SPF warrant card, which he had obtained from âJackâ.
The woman handed him gold bars and jewellery worth more than S$126,000. However, she later became suspicious and took back the valuables.
Sugumaran then returned to Malaysia and decided to stop working for âJackâ.
After the woman made a police report, Sugumaran was arrested when he returned to Singapore on 19 March.
Government Officials Will Not Ask for Money Over the Phone
Government official impersonation scams usually involve scammers pretending to be officers from agencies such as the police or other authorities.
ScamShield says government officials will never ask members of the public to transfer money over a phone call.
SPF has also advised the public that government officials will not ask people to transfer money, gold or cryptocurrency over the phone, and that suspicious messages, phone numbers and links can be checked through the ScamShield app or website.
