SINGAPORE, Aug 2 — A Malaysian, Jagathes Kumar Koil Pillai was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment on August 1, for abetting four Sri Lankans to be in possession of forged Malaysian passports, according to Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
In a statement today, ICA said investigations revealed that Jagathes had assisted four Sri Lankans, Kalaichandran Vinothan, 35; Suresh Sutharshiny, 37; Kajenthiran Kajeepan, 19; and Krishnapillai Navaraj, 26; to possess forged Malaysian passports.
The four of them had wanted to seek refuge in either Italy or Switzerland, and sought an unknown Sri Lankan agent to make arrangements for their trip there.
The agent arranged for their trip through Singapore for a price ranging between S$8,500 (RM25,315) and S$25,600.
When the four of them arrived in Singapore on December 27, 2017, Jagathes handed them four forged Malaysian passports and their boarding passes for their journey to Italy in a toilet at Changi Airport Terminal 1.
The passports bore their photographs but with particulars that did not belong to them.
Thereafter, Jagathes, 42, left the group and returned to Malaysia while the four Sri Lankans were then arrested by ICA officers.
For being in possession of forged travel documents, the four Sri Lankans were convicted and sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment on January 12, 2018.
With the help of the Singapore Police Force and Royal Malaysian Police, Jagathes was arrested on July 3, 2018 in Kuala Lumpur and subsequently escorted back to Singapore for investigations by ICA officers the next day.
Under the Passports Act Section 47(6), a person knowingly in possession of a false foreign travel document shall be guilty of an offence and if convicted, may be sentenced to a fine not exceeding S$10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or both. — Bernama
