SINGAPORE, Feb 4 — A Malaysian employee of Singapore public transport operator SBS Transit went on trial yesterday, accused of impersonating a police officer to lure a migrant domestic helper away from her friends before raping her, CNA reported.
According to the Singapore-based media organisation, Sharveen Chetty, 48, faces two charges of rape and one charge of personating a public servant.
Prosecutors said the victim, then 35, had been sitting with friends and her boyfriend on a grass patch near Little India MRT Station on 11 July, 2022 when Chetty walked up to them while on patrol duty for the transport operator.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Marcus Foo, Mark Chia and Gurmesh Singh told the court that Chetty allegedly pretended to be a police officer and began checking the group’s identification documents.
He also used a body-worn camera issued by his employer to mimic scanning their work permits.
He asked the victim for her identification and took hold of her Ministry of Manpower in-principle approval letter as well as her phone.
Prosecutors said Chetty instructed the group to stay put while ordering the woman to follow him.
According to the prosecution, he led her into nearby bushes and kissed her, threatening to cause problems for her and her friends when she resisted.
He then allegedly forced her to perform a sex act on him before raping her.
When she returned to the group, the woman told her friends he was “a fake policeman”, prompting them to call the actual police.
The victim was later examined by doctors, and prosecutors said Chetty’s DNA was found on parts of her underwear and from a swab taken from her thigh.
Chetty is defended by lawyer Mohamed Baiross of IRB Law.
If convicted of rape, he faces up to 20 years’ jail and the possibility of a fine or caning. Impersonating a public servant carries a punishment of up to two years’ jail, a fine, or both.
The trial continues.
