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A 20-year-old Indian national has been charged with cheating and using forged documents to deceive a domestic worker into paying over SGD 2,000 for fake job offers for her relatives, The Straits Times reported.
Charanjeet Singh was sentenced to 13 weeks in jail by a Singapore court on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) on account of cheating and using forged documents, while three other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
The court was told that Singh met the 29-year-old Indian domestic worker in October 2024, and claiming that he could secure jobs in Singapore for her relatives, he demanded Rs 2,50,000 (approximately SGD 3,700) per applicant.
Between November 17 and December 1, the victim transferred SGD 2,135 to Singh. In return, he sent her forged Ministry of Manpower (MOM) documents, including altered in-principle approval letters for work permits. These were created using an original document he had accessed without consent from a former co-tenant.
The deception came to light when the victim’s employer helped verify the status on MOM’s website and found no such applications existed. When confronted, Singh falsely claimed that the approvals would only be visible after full payment was made.
“The accused assured the victim that he would give her a password to access the information on MOM’s website after full payment was made,” the Singapore daily quoted Deputy Public Prosecutor Maximilian Chew as saying.
After receiving the full amount, Singh became untraceable, prompting the victim to lodge a police report on December 26. Singh was arrested on April 24, The Straits Times said.
Singh, who was unrepresented, said through an interpreter that he regretted his actions and accepted punishment, the report added.
Published – July 30, 2025 03:06 pm IST