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  A former employee of United Overseas Bank, a 30-year-old Chinese national and Singapore permanent resident named Cao Wenqing, was convicted in a Singapore district court on Tuesday, October 14th. She was found guilty on a total of 27 charges for her role in a significant data breach that compromised the private information of more than one thousand bank customers. The conviction comprises 14 charges under the Computer Misuse Act and 13 charges under the Banking Act. Cao Wenqing had contested these charges during her trial, maintaining that she was an innocent victim deceived by individuals falsely claiming to be officers from the Shanghai police. However, District Judge James Elisha Lee, presiding over the case, found her defense lacking. The judge emphasized that Cao Wenqing, possessing tertiary education qualifications and having undergone specific training from United Overseas Bank, was fully conscious of the highly confidential nature of customer data. She was explicitly awar...

  A Singapore court has sentenced a local man to five years and ten months in prison for his central role in a extensive fraudulent scheme that cheated customers out of millions of dollars paid for high-end luxury goods that were never delivered. The individual, Pi Jiapeng, aged 30, admitted to three charges, including money laundering and fraudulent trading, on October 14th. This sentencing concludes a chapter of a case that first came to light over three years ago, following the man's arrest in August 2022. The situation gained significant public attention when Pi and his wife, a Thai national named Pansuk Siriwipa, became fugitives after fleeing Singapore while under police investigation. Pansuk, identified as the primary architect of the operation, was herself sentenced to 14 years in prison earlier in October 2024. The couple's businesses, Tradenation and Tradeluxury, were presented as reputable sellers of luxury watches and handbags. They operated on a pre-order model, at...

  A nine-year-old boy was injured in a traffic accident involving a taxi while he was crossing a road in the Bugis area on the afternoon of October 13. The incident occurred along Middle Road, in the direction heading towards Nicoll Highway. Emergency services, including the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force, were notified of the collision between the taxi and the pedestrian at approximately 2:40 PM. The young boy was transported to KK Women's and Children's Hospital for medical treatment. Authorities confirmed that he was conscious when he was taken to the hospital. Video footage of the incident, captured by a dashboard camera from another vehicle, was later shared on a social media platform. The recording shows the boy riding a kick scooter and moving quickly across a pedestrian crossing. The traffic light signal at the time of the incident was reportedly in favor of the taxi, indicating the vehicle had the right of way. The collision occurred as the boy entered th...

  A 45-year-old Singaporean man has been sentenced to three weeks in prison for falsely declaring his girlfriend as his domestic helper to enable her to remain in the country. Faizal Farid pleaded guilty to one charge of making a false statement to the Controller of Work Passes on October 13. The court heard that Faizal was in a relationship with a 37-year-old Filipina national, Jennie Villaron. In early 2024, Jennie, who was then working as a migrant domestic helper for another employer, informed Faizal that her employment was being terminated. She asked if he could hire her as a domestic helper under his name to validate her continued stay in Singapore. Faizal agreed to the arrangement. On February 28, 2024, he submitted a work permit application stating he would employ Jennie as his domestic helper. A permit was issued on March 9. However, investigations revealed that Faizal had no intention of employing her as a maid. For approximately four months, from March to early July 2024...

  A social media post that has gained significant attention online is warning residents of Choa Chu Kang about an alleged theft involving a food delivery rider. The post, which was widely shared, details an incident where a Grab delivery personnel is accused of stealing groceries from a residential doorstep. According to the account shared by the resident, the incident occurred when the rider was delivering a food order to a neighboring unit. The resident alleges that the individual took groceries that had been delivered from an online shopping service. The resident reviewed closed-circuit television footage from their home, which reportedly did not show the exact moment the items were removed. However, the footage allegedly showed plastic bags going missing, leading the resident to believe the rider made multiple trips to take the items. A particularly concerning detail mentioned was that the rider was seen peering through the door into the house. The resident confirmed that a for...

  Eight Indonesian men have been arrested and charged for their alleged involvement in the illegal sale of marine gas oil. The arrests were made by the Police Coast Guard following a routine inspection of a Singapore-registered vessel on October 10. The operation began when officers, during their routine check, identified crew members who were suspected of being involved in the illicit fuel trade. This discovery prompted further action, leading the officers to intercept a foreign-registered tugboat. Crew members from both vessels were subsequently taken into custody. On October 11, three of the men were formally charged. Ahmad Fairus, aged 36, Fajar Seeng, 41, and Achmad Junaedi, 29, each face one charge for the misappropriation of 8,000 liters of marine gas oil. Court documents indicate that the three men were employed by Hiap Shing Shipping at the time of the alleged offence. The stolen fuel has an estimated value of around $6,917. Five other men were charged for their role in al...

  Authorities have conducted targeted enforcement operations against the use of electronic vaporisers, resulting in fines for several individuals in northern Singapore. The Health Sciences Authority, in a joint operation with the National Environment Agency, carried out enforcement activities from October 8 to 10. The operations were initiated based on information received from the public through official reporting channels. Following these reports, the Health Sciences Authority identified specific areas with high levels of vaping activity, described as hotspots, in the neighborhoods of Khatib, Yishun, and Punggol. Enforcement actions were then focused on these locations. During the operations, five individuals were caught and fined for vaping offences. Their ages ranged from 15 to 37 years old. A total of six electronic vaporisers and their components were seized by the authorities. One of the confiscated devices was suspected to contain a substance known as etomidate, often refer...