Muhammad Ayyub Mohd Rafie, a former 21-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF), has been found guilty of using forged medical certificates (MCs) to avoid his duties, according to The Straits Times.
He pleaded guilty to 2 counts of using forged documents and another count of cheating by personation and was sentenced on 30 August to 18 months of probation, where he will be required to stay indoors from 11pm to 6am, as well as 60 hours of community service.
He bought the forged MCs from his friend’s wife, 27-year-old Siti Syahindah Muhammad Iskandar, with the latter already being sentenced to 10 days imprisonment on 23 August.
The Deceptive Scheme Unveiled
Faking Illness for Personal Gain
Muhammad Ayyub Mohd Rafie, who completed his national service on October 6, 2022, devised a deceptive plan to avoid his duties as an NSF and work as a Foodpanda delivery rider.
He purchased forged medical certificates from a friend’s wife, Siti Syahindah Muhammad Iskandar, 27, in a bid to feign illnesses and evade his responsibilities within the Singapore Police Force.
Ayyub’s motive for using the forged MCs was two-fold. Firstly, he aimed to evade his responsibilities as an NSF, thus escaping the duties associated with his role. Secondly, he sought to utilize the deceptive certificates to secure a position as a Foodpanda delivery driver, a job that required a National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) which he did not possess due to his NSF status.
Siti Syahindah Muhammad Iskandar: A Co-Conspirator’s Fate
Involvement in the Forgery Scheme
Siti Syahindah Muhammad Iskandar, the friend’s wife who provided the forged medical certificates, was also implicated in the scheme. She admitted to selling forged MCs, each priced between $10 and $15, through an unidentified online platform. These certificates were meticulously designed to resemble genuine documents from NuHealth Medical Centre in Woodlands.
Siti Syahindah Muhammad Iskandar pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery and was subsequently sentenced to 10 days in jail. She was granted bail of $15,000 and was required to surrender herself at the State Courts on September 6 to commence her sentence.
The elaborate scheme started to unravel when one of Ayyub’s superior officers grew suspicious after noticing disparities in the doctor’s signature on the forged MCs that Ayyub had submitted. This suspicion prompted the officer to conduct a thorough investigation, eventually leading to the discovery that the medical certificates were, in fact, forgeries.