Two Chinese nationals, a man and a woman, have been charged in court with conspiracy to counterfeit Singapore Currency notes.
They were busted after the man allegedly tried to use a S$100 note with the word “COPY” on it at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS).
On Monday (24 Aug), the 33-year-old man was at the MBS casino when he requested that S$150,000 be deposited into his account.
He then handed over the cash to the cage cashier, according to preliminary investigations.
However, the cashier called the police after the notes were counted and it was discovered that one of the S$100 notes, from the Portrait Series, had the word “COPY” printed on it.
Source: Google Maps
SPF was alerted at about 3.50am that morning. Officers from the Central Police Division and Commercial Affairs Department attended to the case.
They escorted the man to his hotel room and saw the 25-year-old woman leaving the room with a printer.
When the room was searched, 121 counterfeit Singapore S$100 notes were found in her possession.
Source: Singapore Police Force
Also uncovered were various instruments used for counterfeiting currency, including bottled ink, paper and a paper cutter.
The items were seized as case exhibits.
Source: Singapore Police Force
On Wednesday (26 Aug), the duo were both charged with the offence of engaging in a conspiracy to counterfeit Singapore currency notes under Section 489A of the Penal Code 1871.
It was read with Section 109, which states that anyone who abets an offence will receive the same punishment as the main offender if the crime is committed as a result of that abetment
If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison and a fine.
The man was identified by The Straits Times as Yang Zelong and the woman named as Han Wenqian.
Their case was adjourned till 2 Sept.
SPF said it takes a “serious view” of those found to be criminally involved in counterfeiting currency.
It warned that making, counterfeiting, using or possessing counterfeit cash is an offence, with offenders likely to face an assortment of charges under the Penal Code that may lead to up to 20 years’ jail and a fine.
Members of the public who receive any notes suspected to be counterfeit should call the police immediately and note the description of the person who presented the note.
Handling of the suspected counterfeit note should be limited, with the item placed in a protective covering to prevent further tampering before it is handed over to the police.
Also read: Man tries depositing counterfeit S$10K note at bank outlet in Clementi, gets arrested
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Singapore Police Force.