A 31-year-old man of Indian descent residing in Singapore has been sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of defrauding a 25-year-old woman out of more than S$268,000, equivalent to approximately Rs 1.6 crore. The case, which unfolded over a span of seven months, involved the man, identified as Thevendran, establishing what appeared to be a genuine relationship with the victim while continuously soliciting funds for various fictitious reasons.
The fraud began on July 24, 2021, when Thevendran listed a PlayStation 4 for sale on Carousell, a popular e-commerce platform in Singapore. The victim, believing she was buying the console, paid a S$150 deposit for a promised delivery within a week and later transferred an additional S$49 for video games. However, the PlayStation 4 was never delivered as advertised.
Following this initial transaction, Thevendran maintained contact with the victim via Carousell and WhatsApp, deceiving her into transferring money on 57 separate occasions between August 17, 2021, and January 9, 2022. At times, he requested large sums of money, with some payments reaching S$10,000 at his urging.
Crucially, Thevendran was aware that the funds the victim was sending had originated from her insurance and Central Provident Fund (CPF) payouts after her mother’s passing. By December 2021, he recognized that she had exhausted her financial resources yet continued to press her for more money. Throughout this period, he managed to return a total of S$5,000 on three different occasions.
The scheme came to light when the woman transferred S$26,000 from her father’s bank account without his consent, prompting a police investigation into the matter. Overall, Thevendran’s actions resulted in a significant financial loss to the victim, amounting to S$268,520.
During the sentencing phase, Deputy Public Prosecutor Suriya Prakash highlighted that Thevendran persisted with his deceitful actions despite being fully aware of the victim’s dire financial situation. In his defense, Thevendran’s lawyer asserted that the defendant had come to understand the severity of his conduct, had undergone counseling, and had not engaged in any criminal activities over the past four years.
District Judge Janet Wang remarked on the profound psychological distress and financial devastation experienced by the victim. She acknowledged Thevendran’s willingness to repay S$104,000, which constitutes around 40 percent of the total amount defrauded from the victim. Thevendran had previously entered a guilty plea to one count of cheating during an earlier court proceeding.
