Driver injured 2 in Yishun car crash, later found to be in organised crime group
A 23-year-old Malaysian man was sentenced to 17 months’ jail after he ran a red light and injured two people in a car accident in Yishun.
He was later found to be part of a local organised crime syndicate that cheated telcos of more than S$289,000.
On Monday (14 July), Chuah Kah Ting pleaded guilty to three charges, including careless driving, membership in a criminal group, and helping the group retain the benefits of crime. Another six charges were considered for sentencing.
Chuah was also disqualified from driving for five years.
Victims suffered brain injury and shoulder dislocation after Yishun car crash
The accident took place at around 6am on 11 June 2024, at the traffic junction of Yishun Avenue 6 and Yishun Avenue 1, The Straits Times (ST) reported.
Two hours earlier, Chuah had been drinking with Benjamin Yong Dun Zheng, 29, at a club in Orchard. When Yong became tired, Chuah decided to drive him home.
However, Chuah himself began to feel sleepy, and his eyes started to close. He subsequently ran a red light and crashed into a van and a car that were turning right at the junction.
Source: Google Maps
The van flipped and landed on its left side. Its windscreen was torn off, and the car sustained cracks and scratches on its rear.
Two victims in the van — a 60-year-old driver and a 58-year-old female passenger — were hospitalised.
The woman suffered a brain injury and bruising and was given 34 days’ hospitalisation leave.
Meanwhile, the driver dislocated his shoulder during a subsequent doctor’s review and had to undergo surgery.
Court documents did not state if the car driver sustained injuries.
Police found multiple SIM cards in Chuah’s car after crash
After the crash, police searched Chuah’s car and discovered multiple SIM cards that did not belong to him.
Further investigations revealed that Chuah was involved in an organised crime group responsible for a sophisticated scam targeting telco companies.
Source: PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay. For illustrative purposes only.
The syndicate, led by Yong and two others, would:
- Buy NRIC details
- Forge particulars and documents to impersonate company directors
- Use fake company identities to order mobile phones from telcos
- Intercept deliveries via accomplices posing as company staff
- Sell the phones for profit
In total, two telcos lost about S$289,294 due to unpaid bills for the fraudulent orders.
Chuah assisted the group between May and June 2024, earning $500 for his role.
Lawyer claimed client was out of work and manipulated
Chuah’s lawyer told the court that Chuah came to Singapore in 2022 to work in the F&B industry.
When he was between jobs, Yong approached him to run errands, which eventually got him entangled him in the criminal operation.
Mr Yip said Chuah was deeply remorseful about the traffic accident and its consequences.
Yong, who was described as one of the syndicate’s ringleaders, has been charged but is currently on the run. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and by MS News.Â
