Corpun file 26626 at www.corpun.com
Channel NewsAsia, Singapore, 5 September 2017
Trio sentenced to jail, caning for 2014 Aljunied Crescent robbery
By Vanessa Paige Chelvan
(from left) Vekneswaran Sekaran, Saravanak Kumar Karunanithy and Selvam Karupaya. (Photos: Singapore Police Force)
SINGAPORE: Three Malaysians were on Tuesday (Sep 5) sentenced to jail and caning for robbing a money changer in 2014.
Vekneswaran Sekaran and Saravanak Kumar Karunanithy, both 30, were each sentenced to seven years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane, while 32-year-old Selvam Karupaya was sentenced to five years and nine months' jail and 12 strokes of the cane.
They were part of a nine-man gang of robbers who planned the heist months in advance, secretly tailing the money changer to learn his routine, including when he would pick up suitcases full of cash from couriers.
They also staked out his home to familiarise themselves with the surroundings and even rehearsed the robbery. After four aborted attempts in October 2014, the robbers made off with S$624,036 in cash after ambushing the victim, Mr Ali, in the early hours of Nov 5.
This happened at Block 110 Aljunied Crescent. Mr Ali had just parked his car when the robbers used a crowbar to smash the vehicle's windows before dragging him out and snatching the suitcases from the boot. One of the robbers punched Mr Ali and threatened to kill his two-year-old son, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Michelle Lu said the level of planning that went into the robbery is "unprecedented". They conducted dry runs, produced getaway cars and motorcycles, and put on black face masks so they wouldn't be identified. The robbers even stuck plasters on their fingers to avoid leaving any fingerprints at the scene.
All of them fled to Malaysia within two hours of the robbery. Three of the nine robbers -- Malaysian men aged between 29 and 35 -- remain at large.
The first three to be dealt with were sentenced last year to between seven and nine years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane.
The punishment for gang robbery is five to 20 years in jail and at least 12 strokes of the cane.
Source: CNA/vc
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