Last Thursday (29 September), two Malaysian were each sentenced to a year’s jail for helping a couple linked to a luxury goods scam worth SGD32 million (≈RM103 million) to flee the republic.
According to Straits Times, Mohamed Alias, 40, and Mohamad Fazli Abdul Rahman, 38, admitted to helping local citizens Pi Jiapeng and his Thai wife Pansuk Siriwipa to leave Singapore illegally.
Both Mohamed Alias and Fazli work in the same logistics company in Malaysia.
It is said that an acquaintance of Fazli’s known only as “Anson” contacted him back in July, asking for his help to find a driver to smuggle two people out of Singapore to Johor through the Tuas Checkpoint on 4 July.
Andy Vermaut shares:Tradenation luxury goods scam: Two men to plead guilty to helping fugitive couple flee Singapore: Mohamad Fazli Abdul Rahman and Mohamed Alias are accused of helping Pi Jiapeng and Siriwipa Pansuk to flee Singapore while… https://t.co/CpBM6LaONI Thank you. pic.twitter.com/2qLb9bAygm
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In return, he will be paid a fee of RM16,000. Fazli then enlisted the services of Mohamed Alias, a lorry driver who regularly makes deliveries from Malaysia to Singapore.
On 4 July, Mohamed Alias drove a lorry with a Malaysian registration number to a storage location in Ang Mo Kio to make a delivery. After sharing his location to Fazli, he was told to wait there to pick up Pi and Pansuk for the escapade.
When approaching the Tuas Checkpoint, Mohamed Alias told the couple to hide in the vehicle’s container compartment.
The immigration officer performed a standard clearance for the lorry to leave Singapore, and there was no spot check conducted on the container of the lorry. Thus, the couple manage to pass undetected.
Once they entered Johor, Mohamed Alias contacted Fazli for further instructions. He then dropped Pi and Pansuk off at an overpass before another unidentified driver picked the pair up.
Fazli received RM16,000 from Anson and handed over RM11,000 to Mohamed Alias.
However, the police were on their tail and Mohamed Alias was arrested on 14 July, while Fazli was arrested 15 days later.
During the appeal, the two were unrepresented but they said they had family dependents in Malaysia and thus, hoping for a lesser sentence.
Luxury goods scam
On the other hand, Pi and Pansuk were accused of failing to deliver SGD32 million (≈RM103 million) in luxury goods to customers of Tradenation and Tradeluxury between January and June.
It was reported that the couple tricked victims into believing they were buying luxury watches and handbags but had no intention of delivering the items.
Pi, from Fujian, China, was initially arrested by the Singaporean police on 27 June, while his wife, Pansuk was assisting the police with investigations and surrendered her passport on 30 June.
However, the couple became uncontactable and left Singapore on 4 July, triggering arrest warrants and Interpol red notices.
, two Malaysian were each sentenced to a year's jail for helping a couple linked to a luxury goods scam worth SGD32 million (≈RM103 million) to flee the republic.){kind=link}