SINGAPORE — A man was sentenced to 10 years in jail and 22 strokes of the cane on Wednesday (Feb 5) for gang robbery, having a knife in his possession in a public place and being a member of an unlawful society.
Nor Mohamad Azril Sajali, 29, called an “incorrigible offender” by Deputy Public Prosecutor Kwang Jia Min, also admitted to two counts each of rioting and assault.
Nor Mohamad had been released on bail in January 2018 after being in a gang robbery involving S$300,000. The very next month, on Feb 18, he took part in a fight in Ang Mo Kio during which a member of his gang slashed a 24-year-old man with a “bladed weapon” and someone else in the group used a parang to attack a 29-year-old victim. He was arrested the same day.
Nor Mohamad was the first accused in the S$300,000 robbery in December 2017 to be brought to court. The other four accused are Muhammad Ridzuan Mohammad Yusof, 31; Shanker Maghalingam, 32; Thava Kumuran Ramamutty, 35; and Juraimi Jupri, 43.
DPP Kwang told the district court that Thava had learned that some Bangladeshis were operating an illegal remittance business. He met the other four accused in early December 2017 on how to “take the money” from the Bangladeshis.
On Dec 11, 2017, at around 3am, Shanker drove with his alleged companions in a silver Volvo to a Rowell Road property in Little India where the Bangladeshis lived.
While Shanker remained in the car, the other three made their way to the four victims and identified themselves as officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The DPP told District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim: “Thava identified Juraimi, Azril, Ridzuan and himself as officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and asked to check the victims’ identification documents. Each of the victims handed over their identification documents for inspection and felt afraid.”
The DPP said Thava stole $300,000 in cash when he searched the property, after which the robbers drove off in the Volvo.
When one of the victims realised that the men were not CID officers, he contacted the police immediately.
Nor Mohamad received S$5,000 as his share of the loot. He was arrested on Jan 8, 2018. Thava and Shanker were arrested in Malaysia on April 14, 2018 and brought back to Singapore. Only S$5,500 of the S$300,000 stolen were recovered, DPP Kwang said.
After the robbery but before his arrest, at about 6 am on Dec 16, 2017, Nor Mohamad was involved in a car chase which resulted in a vehicle crashing into the rear gate of the Istana, killing two people. They were identified as Mr Muhammad Khairulanwar Mohamed Sani, 25, and Ms Nurul Filzah Syazwani Abdul Rahim, 21.
The third person in the vehicle, Ms Nurul’s boyfriend, 28-year-old Johari Sharif, sustained a fractured rib and multiple injuries. /TISG