Singapore:
A woman of Indian descent was sentenced on Thursday to 15 months in prison by a Singapore court for stealing about SGD 6,800 while working as a receptionist at an armed forces yacht club and using the money for her household expenses and financial obligations.
Jai Chithra Sunmugvale, 42, also signed an agreement collecting SGD1,200 in rent on behalf of her sister-in-law when she was not authorized to do so, according to a Channel News Asia report.
She pleaded guilty to two charges of criminal breach of trust and cheating, and was sentenced to an additional 50 days in prison for committing one of the offenses while under a parole order.
Two more charges were considered for the conviction. These were for lying to the hiring manager of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Yacht Club that she had no criminal record, and for stealing another SGD 350 from her sister-in-law.
The court heard that Jai Chithra was hired to work at the SAF Yacht Club in October 2020. Her role included manning the company’s front desk, receiving cash payments and putting them away in a safe at the end of the day.
On November 29, 2020, she accepted approximately SGD 235 in cash from a customer as payment for a motorboat license course. However, she kept the money and did not update the participant list for this course with the client.
After finishing work that day, Jai Chithra also took SGD 6,635 from the till and took it home.
The theft was discovered the next day when her colleague discovered that money had gone missing from the safe. The colleague asked Jai Chithra where the money was, and she admitted to taking it with her.
The court also heard that in December 2020, Jai Chithra helped her 39-year-old sister-in-law look for a new flat to buy.
The sister-in-law believed that Jai Chithra had more experience in such matters, so they agreed that she would take care of certain matters related to the purchase.
However, the sister-in-law has never authorized Chithra to sign an agreement or collect rent on her behalf, the prosecutor said.
The sister-in-law found a flat and signed a purchase option in December 2020. In April 2021, the seller said she would need more time to find another flat to move into.
Jai Chithra met with the broker to discuss this and told the broker that the seller could stay in the flat for SGD1,200 but only if SGD1,000 was transferred to her first. The seller did that.
Jai Chithra also signed a document prepared by the agent, which allegedly agreed to an extension of the seller’s stay in the flat. The parties named in the agreement were the seller and the sister-in-law of Jai Chithra.
During a scheduled inspection of the flat on May 29 last year, Jai Chithra met the seller and received the outstanding SGD200 in rent. She took the money and gave a handwritten receipt which she signed on behalf of her sister-in-law.
The sister-in-law made a report to the police in August after being informed of these events by the broker.
Jai Chithra has since given refunds to her sister-in-law, while no chargeback or refund has been made for the theft from SAF Yacht Club.
The prosecution noted that Jai Chithra’s theft was committed in an amateurish and opportunistic manner, but said she showed no remorse and gave “false defenses” after her violations were discovered.
He also argued for a longer sentence as Jai Chithra had previously been convicted of similar offences. She was previously jailed for nine months for criminal breach of trust in 2018.
Jai Chithra, who was in her own defense, appeared to be crying and sobbing as she told the judge she was sorry for her actions.
She asked for a lighter sentence to be reunited earlier with her three-year-old toddler, who was in the care of her elderly mother.
“During this period of detention, I realize that being away from my child is a more excruciating punishment,” she said.
District Judge Lee Lit Cheng said Jai Chithra was a recalcitrant offender whose string of previous convictions showed her persistence in violation and disregard for the law.
The prosecution asked for damages for the money stolen from SAF Yacht Club, but the judge did not order it because Jai Chithra said she did not have the financial means to pay. PTI GS PMS PMS
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)