Mystery surrounds the death of Jane Lee, Singapore-based owner of the food business Sumo Salad, within hours of an intense post she wrote about one of her employees — an Indian-origin woman — faking an injury. “I never imagined that someone could act with such deceit simply for the sake of money,” wrote Lee in a Facebook post a few days ago.
In fact, Lee wrote two lengthy Facebook posts on July 18. In one post, she gave details of what she had observed about the employee — “Sran Kiranjeet Kaur, a worker from India” — and why she believed that the workplace injury compensation claim was a scam, “a carefully orchestrated scheme” of extortion.
In the other post, she tagged the Singapore Ministry of Manpower and the Singapore Police Force, urging the authorities to “investigate this case thoroughly”.
There was a very despondent tone in the second post on July 18, in which Lee wrote: “I fear that I will not be the last victim, and these individuals may continue to exploit other unsuspecting small businesses in similar ways.”
The depressed finality in this second post has made some people believe — as evident from social media comments — that Lee might have committed suicide. Her death is being treated as “unnatural” by the police, and an investigation is ongoing.
Lee had ended the second post by saying: “To my beloved family and children, I’m truly sorry that I couldn’t find the strength to face this battle on my own. I’ve written a personal letter that you’ll find on my laptop.”
The next day, on July 19, she was found dead. On that Monday, July 21, the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that it was probing the alleged fake claim of workplace injury by the Indian worker.
A CNA report quoted the ministry as saying: “MOM will not hesitate to take parties found culpable for abusing the [Work Injury Compensation] system to task. Employers can approach MOM for help if they have concerns over fraudulent claims by their employees.”
A later report by The Straits Times quoted Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash as saying that the ministry had “been in communication with Ms Lee prior to her passing, and we will work with the insurer on the necessary claims”.
Jane Lee believed that the Indian worker was staging a scam
In her first Facebook post on July 18, Lee wrote: “I never imagined that someone could act with such deceit simply for the sake of money. Ms. Sran Kiranjeet Kaur, a worker from India, approached me seeking employment. Just two days before her contract ended, she staged an incident — claiming to have slipped and fallen while taking the escalator to dispose of rubbish. On that day, she was supposed to leave work early, but she deliberately stayed back. It became clear to me that the accident was premeditated, likely as an attempt to file a false work injury claim.”
Lee alleged that there was most likely an extortion racket involving workers and an unscrupulous legal firm to target small business owners in Singapore.
She wrote about Sran Kiranjeet Kaur: “Unfortunately, this appears not to be her first attempt. Based on my observations and information I’ve gathered, I believe this was a carefully orchestrated scheme, planned with her husband, Mamu, also from India, and potentially with the assistance of a legal firm that coaches individuals on how to exploit injury claims for compensation.
“I have video footage on my phone that contradicts her claim of injury. I have personally witnessed her moving around normally — cooking, walking, and functioning without difficulty. However, her behaviour changes dramatically in the presence of others, especially doctors, where she exaggerates her condition and limps to feign serious injury. I accompanied her to several medical appointments and observed these deliberate actions.
“Their apparent strategy is to target small businesses. If they find one without proper insurance coverage, they instill fear and try to extort money… from the business owners. If the business is insured, they aim for higher payouts by encouraging more serious injury claims, fabricating permanent disabilities so [as] to receive a big lump sum from [the] insurance company.”
Expressing her distress over Kaur’s workplace injury claim, Lee said: “I feel extremely unfortunate to have encountered this situation. I am deeply saddened —for myself, my husband, and our dedicated staff — that because of an unfortunate gap in our insurance coverage, we are now being targeted by what I believe to be a fraudulent scheme.”
Jane Lee seems to say goodbye to everyone in her post
Her second post asked for justice and appeared to be saying goodbye to all her other staff members, and to her two children. She wrote: “To the Singapore Ministry of Manpower and Singapore Police Force, I respectfully urge you to investigate this case thoroughly. I fear that I will not be the last victim, and these individuals may continue to exploit other unsuspecting small businesses in similar ways.
“To my dear staff: I’m truly sorry for this difficult situation. Win, I’ve transferred money to your account — please use it to start a business with your husband. Kalai, Parames, and Uncle Phoon, I’ve also sent funds your way as a token of appreciation. Thank you for your unwavering dedication. Uncle Phoon and Win, your loyalty and hard work over the past 12 years have meant so much to Victor and me. To Jeffi, Ah Mai, and Michelle — thank you for your constant support and stepping in whenever I needed help.
“To my friends and fellow business owners: please help share this message so [as] to prevent similar incidents from happening to others.
“To my beloved family and children, I’m truly sorry that I couldn’t find the strength to face this battle on my own. I’ve written a personal letter that you’ll find on my laptop.”
This was Jane Lee’s last message to the world. Her last two posts have been seen and shared by thousands of Facebook users by now.
Lending weight to her belief that there was an organised extortion racket exploiting Singapore’s workplace injury compensation law, The Straits Times report said: “The incident has sparked widespread public sympathy and prompted some small and medium-sized (SME) enterprise owners to speak out about the immense pressure they face when handling workplace injury cases — whether they are staged or genuine.”
A Facebook user named Kenneth Chua commented on the second post (in which Lee had tagged the ministry and the police): “Sad to hear that. Base on what you written, it look more them scam for money. This tactic I personally have seen few years back. They are actually not after money. They know once contract ended they need to leave Singapore within 2 weeks. They don’t want to go back. To stay on here and find chance to get another job the best is on some cases and the government cannot let them go back. They will take the case investigate timing which normally is 3 to 6 months to find other job. Sometime as business owner really have to be watchful on all the needed insurance and law. Wish you all the best in getting a justice on this case. (sic)”
