A 61-year Indian-origin man has been jailed for four months in Singapore over a 2004 hoax call about a bomb threat to the house of first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
The accused, Ganesan Singaravel, pled guilty to an offence under the Telecommunications Act.
Though he was charged on November 16, 2004, but while out on bail, he fled Singapore about two months later.
The prosecution told the court that Singaravel went to a popular spot in Orchard Tower around midnight on November 13 and drank alcohol until 4 am. Later, the police said they received a call from Singaravel, who made references to a bomb at Lee’s house.
“The call was made by the accused from a public phone located next to the Thai embassy. The call's message was clearly false and the accused knew that the text of the call was false,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Samynathan.
“A patrol car was sent to Orchard Towers to interview and arrest the accused. The accused was coherent during his interactions with the officers at the scene. Meanwhile, the officers who were already stationed at Oxley Road were told to step up patrols and be alert and vigilant,” he added.
The accused Singaravel was charged in the year 2004 itself but he fled from Singapore two months later when he was released on bail.
He was caught overstaying in the US last year and told the authorities there that he wanted to return to Singapore. He was detained when he returned back to Singapore on July 15, 2018.
Defence lawyers of the case mentioned in their mitigation plea that Singaravel was drunk when he committed the offence.
“The accused realises how alcohol has utterly destroyed his life and family, leading to his wife to divorce him, leaving him with nothing and his children to give up on him. The accused's family no longer wants anything to do with him. The offence has taken a terrible toll on the accused,” stated the plea.