30-year-old Surenthiran Sugumaran pleaded guilty on 18 October to one count of mischief by fire, with another charge of wrongful confinement being taken into consideration during his sentencing.
He had set fire to his ex-girlfriend’s fiance’s home in Jurong because he was allegedly jealous of their impending nuptials.
What happened?
Sugumaran discovered through an Instagram post in March earlier this year that his ex-girlfriend was getting married.
He then planned to lock her fiance’s home and set it on fire because he felt resentful and jealous, according to Channel NewsAsia.
Sugumaran allegedly drew up a plan and in the early hours of 12 March, he rode his motorbike to his home in Jurong West, armed with a bottle that was filled with petrol.
Wearing a black hoodie, he pulled the hood over his face to hide his identity from the CCTV at the victim’s lift lobby.
He also took the lift to the 12th floor before climbing the stairs up one level to avoid being detected by police cameras.
At about 4.40am, he blocked off the victim’s main gate using a bicycle lock before pouring petrol onto his shoe rack outside and setting it on fire.
He then fled the scene and walked down the stairs before taking the lift to the ground level, and he then threw the lighter into the bushes before riding home on his motorcycle.
The victim suffered about $410 in losses, including damages to 6 pairs of shoes and a pair of slippers.
Sugumaran is set to return to court in December for his sentencing and if convicted, he faces a jail term of up to 7 years and a fine.