Daijiworld Media Network – Singapore

Singapore, Oct 4: Two Indian nationals, accused of robbing and assaulting two sex workers in Singapore, have been sentenced to five years and one month in prison each, along with 12 strokes of the cane.

The convicts, identified as Arokkiyasami Daison (23) and Rajendran Mayilarasan (27), pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt while committing robbery, reported The Straits Times.

According to court proceedings, the duo arrived in Singapore on April 24 for a vacation. Two days later, while walking through Little India, they were approached by an unknown man who gave them contact details of sex workers. Arokkiyasami then suggested to Rajendran that they could rob the women to make money, and both agreed.

That evening, they met their first victim in a hotel room. Once inside, they tied her hands and legs, slapped her, and fled with jewellery, SGD 2,000 in cash, her passport, and bank cards. Later the same night, they lured another woman to a different hotel. They assaulted her, gagged her mouth, and robbed her of SGD 800, two mobile phones, and her passport before threatening her not to leave the room.

The victims later reported the incidents, leading to their arrest.

During mitigation, both men, who had no legal representation, pleaded for leniency citing family struggles. Arokkiyasami said he had lost his father and was supporting three sisters, while Rajendran claimed his wife and child in India were suffering financially.

The court, however, noted that those guilty of voluntarily causing injury during a robbery face between five and 20 years’ jail and a mandatory minimum of 12 cane strokes. Accordingly, the duo were sentenced on Friday.