SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A security supervisor at a foreign workers’ dormitory accepted a S$29 (RM95) bribe from one of its residents who was caught with a stick of contraband cigarette.
Tanayogaraj Nagaraji, 40, a Malaysian, accepted the money from Hasan Kamrul, 34, a Bangladeshi, in exchange for not reporting the matter to the management.
He later used some of the money to buy a can of energy drink before police officers seized the remaining $27 from him.
On Tuesday (Jan 14), Tanayogaraj was sentenced to four weeks’ jail and ordered to pay a S$2 penalty. He had pleaded guilty to one count each of graft and unlawfully being in possession of Hasan’s work pass.
Tanayogaraj, who started working as a security supervisor in October 2024 for a private security services firm, was later posted to the Avery Lodge Dormitory in Jalan Papan, near Jurong Port Road.
His tasks included supervising security officers at the dormitory. He also had to attend to cases involving items such as contraband cigarettes that were brought into the property.
The prosecution said that on the evening of Nov 22, 2024, enforcement officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Health Sciences Authority conducted a raid at the dormitory for contraband items.
Hasan returned at around 10.30pm and a security officer found a contraband cigarette stick in his bag during a check.
The officer took Hasan to see Tanayogaraj at the guardhouse, and he handed over both items to the supervisor.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Chong told the court that Tanayogaraj was supposed to snap pictures of the work permit and contraband cigarette, confiscate the cigarette and report the matter to his management.
Instead, he asked Hasan for S$30 in return for letting him off, when the latter asked him for a second chance.
DPP Ng said: “The witness agreed to pay the accused $30, explained that he did not have enough cash and offered to transfer the money to the accused.”
Tanayogaraj told Mr Hasan to look for cash instead. He also held on to the work permit, even though he had no lawful authority to do so, the DPP said.
Mr Hasan, who had only $15 in cash, managed to borrow $14 from a friend before returning to the guardhouse.
Tanayogaraj then took Mr Hasan to a secluded corner behind a car, which he believed was a blind spot for surveillance cameras within the dormitory.
Hasan handed him the S$29 at around 10.45pm. After that, Tanayogaraj returned him his work permit and allowed him to leave.
Tanayogaraj later bought a can of energy drink and placed the remaining S$27 under a computer mat at his workstation in the guardhouse.
The DPP said an alert cleaner working at the dormitory had spotted Hasan borrowing cash from his friend.
The cleaner also saw Tanayogaraj and Hasan at the secluded corner. The cleaner spoke to Hasan, who told him about what had happened. The cleaner then reported the matter to his supervisor at around 11pm.
Two members from Tanayogaraj’s management later went to the guardhouse with Hasan and confronted Tanayogaraj, who initially denied taking money from the younger man.
Police officers who arrived later searched the guardhouse and found the S$S27. Tanayogaraj was arrested soon after. - The Straits Times/ANN
