An Indian student in Singapore was yesterday sentenced to five months in jail for molesting a woman last year, according to a media report.
Ravi Kumar, 27, was jailed for molesting a 27-year-old woman in Redhill housing estate on the night of September 9, The Straits Times reported. Kumar was drinking beer with his friend when he saw the victim with her sister at Block 84, Redhill Lane, and struck up a conversation with her.
Ravi stood up and gave 10 dollars to the victim’s sister and told her to “buy drinks”. He then sat next to the victim, put his arm around her shoulder and tried to molest her, reports said. The victim scolded him and called the police.
The Singapore Police Force issued a statutory warning against molestation on their Facebook page.
“If you are taking public transport, be alert and attentive to your surroundings. Where possible, move away if someone stands or sits exceptionally close to you,” it read.
“If you are molested, seek help immediately from fellow commuters and the bus captain or station master. Take note of the prominent features and attire of the suspect as well as the direction in which he or she went. Call ‘999’ as soon as possible to increase the chances of apprehending the suspect early. If it is safe to do so, the victim or other witnesses of the crime may assist to detain the suspect while waiting for the Police to arrive,” it added.
Although overall crime has dropped in the first half of 2017, compared to the same period last year, cases of ‘outrage of modesty’ have gone up from 655 in January-June 2016 to 717 in the first six months of 2017, an increase of 9.5 per cent.
In a recent case, the police arrested a 20-year-old man believed to be involved in two cases of Outrage of Modesty. Two women, both aged 28, reported to the Police that they were molested by an unknown man along Circuit Road and Balam Road on 12 and 15 August 2017.
The suspect will be charged in Court with the offence of Outrage of Modesty on 23 August 2017. Anyone convicted of the offence of Outrage of Modesty under Section 354(1) of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 shall be punished with an imprisonment term which may extend to two years, or with caning, or with a combination of such punishments.