WOMAN ARRESTED FOR FORGING DOCTORS’ PRESCRIPTIONS TO PURCHASE CONTROLLED DRUGS FROM HOSPITALS’ PHARMACIES

The Police have arrested a 42-year-old woman for her suspected involvement in forging doctors’ prescriptions to purchase controlled drugs from two hospitals’ pharmacies.

On 10 March 2023, the Police received a report from a hospital that a woman had purportedly produced a doctor’s prescription to purchase controlled drugs on behalf of a clinic. The pharmacy staff suspected that the prescription was forged and reported the matter to the Police.

Through investigations, officers from Tanglin Division established the identity of the woman and arrested her on 13 March 2023. Several items, including electronic devices, controlled drugs, four rubber stamps and forged doctors’ prescriptions were seized as case exhibits. Preliminary investigations revealed that the woman had allegedly forged at least 40 doctors’ prescriptions and deceived the pharmacy staff of two hospitals to deliver about $4,112 worth of controlled drugs and drug paraphernalia to her.

The woman will be charged in court on 15 March 2023 with forgery for the purpose of cheating under Section 468 of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to ten years and a fine.

The Police takes a serious view of any person who engages in fraudulent or dishonest conduct. Offenders will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

If you have information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
14 March 2023 @ 11:05 PM

POLICE ARRESTED THIRTEEN PERSONS FOR SERIES OF RENTAL SCAMS

In an island-wide anti-scam enforcement operation conducted between 9 and 13 March 2023, the Anti-Scam Command of the Singapore Police Force arrested nine men and four women, aged between 18 and 56, for their suspected involvement in recent spate of rental scams. Scammers would impersonate legitimate property agents and ask victims for payment to secure the rental of a unit before viewing the property as part of the scams. Another three women, aged between 21 and 27, are also assisting in investigations.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the sixteen persons purportedly received illicit proceeds from rental scams in their bank accounts. They allegedly allowed their bank accounts to be used to receive the illicit proceeds and withdrew the proceeds, which were then handed to others in the syndicate for easy money. Scam proceeds amounting to more than $1.3 million from 480 rental scam cases were dissipated via cash withdrawals from these bank accounts.

Those who allegedly assist another to retain benefits from criminal conduct are liable for an offence under Section 51 of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Offences (Confiscation of Benefits) Act, which carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.

To avoid becoming involved in money laundering activities, members of the public should always reject requests to allow their bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others.

The Police would also like to remind members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures when securing appointments to view properties:

1. ADD – ScamShield App and set security features (e.g., enable two-factor (2FA) or multifactor authentication for banks, social media, Singpass accounts; set transaction limits on internet banking transactions, including PayNow)
2. CHECK – for scam signs with official sources. Verify the legitimacy of a property listing via the following means:
   • Liaise with a property agent using only the agent’s phone number registered on CEA’s Public Register. Members of the public may check whether a property agent is registered with CEA by searching for the agent’s phone number on the CEA Public Register. If the search does not lead to the property agent’s profile page, it means that the property agent has not registered that phone number with the CEA and the listing is likely a scam.
3. TELL – authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report the fraudulent pages to the online platforms (for e.g. Facebook, Carousell, etc)

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Photo of cash seized

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
14 March 2023 @ 4:19 PM

Grab Singapore said on 14 March that with effect from 21 March, they will be rolling out a new safety feature as part of a trial, where both drivers and passengers can record audio during rides.

The feature will be available on all Grab rides, except for GrabHitch and GrabShare.

What is AudioProtect

AudioProtect is a safety feature that allows a driver-partner and passenger to record audio on their devices via the Grab app while they are on a Grab ride, provided both parties give consent.

At Grab, we are committed to providing safer rides for everyone. AudioProtect is first and foremost a deterrence tool aimed at preventing in-person safety incidents. When users are aware that their ride is being recorded, they are less likely to engage in unsafe or inappropriate behaviour. It also allows us to resolve safety incidents more quickly, as we can now rely on recordings to get the full picture. Safety incidents include accidents and instances of verbal, physical, and sexual harassment and/or abuse.

How does AudioProtect work?

Rides will automatically be recorded as long as both you and the driver have enabled the AudioProtect feature in-app. The recording will commence only when the ride starts and will end once you’ve completed the ride. This feature is available on all Grab rides except for GrabShare and GrabHitch.

Recorded audio files are encrypted and will be stored on your device for 5 days before being automatically deleted if no safety-related incident is reported. The files cannot be accessed by both yourself and the driver. These recordings will not be uploaded or accessed by Grab under any circumstances unless a safety-related incident occurs.

In the event a safety-related incident is reported, the relevant audio file will be uploaded to our system for review. Rest assured that this review will be conducted by approved and trained members from Grab’s Safety team, and that your recording will only be used for investigation purposes only.

You may disable AudioProtect at any time.

How do I enable AudioProtect on my device?

You can enable AudioProtect by heading to your Grab app > tapping on Account > selecting Safety Settings > toggling the On button > pressing Confirm to enable AudioProtect for all rides.
You’ll also receive an in-app prompt to enable AudioProtect:

Once enabled, AudioProtect will record all rides from when a ride starts to when the ride is completed. You can also turn off AudioProtect at any time from the in-app Safety Centre by toggling the button off:

Note that microphone permissions are required for AudioProtect to collect audio recordings.

How will I know if my ride is being recorded?

When the ride starts, you’ll see a small notification appear on the Safety Centre button saying “AudioProtect: On” when recording starts. You may also check your Grab Safety Centre to confirm that AudioProtect is turned on.

I have enabled AudioProtect; why was my ride not recorded?

Your ride may not have been recorded due to one of the following reasons:

• Your driver does not have AudioProtect enabled. Mutual opt-in is required.
• You do not have enough storage on your phone.
• You have not allowed microphone permissions for Grab in your device settings.
• You took a GrabShare or GrabHitch ride. Please note that AudioProtect is not currently available for GrabShare or GrabHitch.
• Your Grab app version is older than 5.245.0 (Android) or 5.245.0 (iOS).

How do I disable AudioProtect on my device?

You may disable AudioProtect by taking the following steps:

1. Head to your Grab app and tap on Account.
2. Select Safety settings and toggle Off.
3. Tap on “Disable” to confirm. The feature will now be disabled for all rides unless re-enabled.

Note: If you disable AudioProtect after a ride has already started, the ride will still be recorded for safety purposes. Rest assured that the feature will be disabled for any future rides.

Source: Grab

A teacher described as being from a “top junior college” in Singapore was arrested last Friday (10 March) for allegedly molesting a female student more than 20 years ago.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that they received a report on 19 November last year about the alleged molestation, and are currently investigating the incident.

The alleged molestation is believed to have taken place when the man was working as a teacher at a junior college in Singapore.

The alleged incident is said to have involved a female student who was in the same co-curricular activity (CCA) that the man was involved in.

A spokesperson for the teacher’s current school said in a statement on 14 march that they have suspended the teacher after being made aware of the alleged molestation incident.

However, they declined to provide further comment because of the police investigations that are currently ongoing.

Potential penalties

Outrage of modesty is punishable under Section 354 of the Penal Code, and persons found guilty face a jail term of up to 24 months and caning.

For aggravated outrage of modesty, persons found guilty face a jail term of up to 5 years, including 6 strokes of the cane.

An accident involving a silver lorry and a white car (an SUV) occurred near 138 Sixth Avenue in Bukit Timah yesterday (14 March) evening.

A photo of the aftermath of the accident was circulated online, showing the two wrecked vehicles stationary in the middle of two roads, obstructing both sides.

The silver-coloured lorry appeared to be worse off, with the driver’s side of the front cabin being completely wrecked and caved in.

Debris from the wreckage and shattered windows could also be seen strewn across the road.

The white-coloured SUB was seen with its bonnet dented in as it sat in the middle of the road, resting on top of the road divider.

Both lanes heading in opposite directions were obstructed as a result of the accident.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that there were alerted to the accident that took place along Sixth Avenue on Tuesday at about 6.10 pm in the evening.

The police said that a 49-year-old man who was driving the lorry and his 35-year-old male passenger were conveyed to the hospital conscious.

The driver of the white-coloured SUV, a 43-year-old man, suffered minor injuries in the accident but refused conveyance to the hospital.

At the time of writing, police investigations are ongoing.

A Singaporean couple on holiday in India, Mr Yuvarajan Selvam and his wife Nagajoethi Varasarasun were killed on Sunday after a speeding tanker crashed into the car that they were in, along with the driver who was driving them.

They were on a holiday at the time, flying from Singapore to India on 8 March, with the rest of their family from Singapore scheduled to join them on 13 March for the second leg of their holiday.

On 12 March, however, the couple’s family received a phone call bearing tragic news, informing them that they had been killed in a traffic accident in India.

Yuvarajan was a construction manager while his wife, Nagajoethi was a teacher; they had hired a driver and car on Sunday morning to fetch them from Chennai, where they were staying, to Tirupati to visit a temple.

The journey was supposed to be about 3.5 hours long over 130km.

At about 8.30 am local time, when they were near the Nagari, Andhra Pradesh area at the halfway mark of the journey, an oil tanker that was speeding crashed into their car and ploughed it off the road and onto a nearby field.

The couple and the driver were reportedly killed straight away.

The driver of the oil tanker had reportedly fled the scene following the accident, resulting in a massive police manhunt being launched for him.

The man was subsequently tracked down and arrested by the police.

The Indian police said that the couple had been on their way to the temple in Tirupati for “darshan”, to seek blessing by viewing a deity.

The couple’s bodies had to be extricated from the wreckage of the crash and sent to a Nagari hospital for an autopsy.

Their family were informed of the tragedy at about 3 pm the same day, and they had to inform the couple’s 9-year-old son about his parent’s death.

The family then flew over to India that same night to repatriate the bodies.

In a tragic #RoadAccident, three persons died, when the car they were traveling, collided with a Oil tanker lorry near Darmapuram X Road in Nagari mandal of #Chittoor dist. They were in the way to Tirumala.#RoadSafety #CarAccident #AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/JmVVRQWBeG

— Surya Reddy (@jsuryareddy) March 12, 2023