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Take Cover Under…Mattress
Selecting a mattress is a personal choice. One would usually look for a good mattress that can offer one with restful sleep. However, for one such person, he had literally sought to take cover under a mattress with a false hope that the mattress would offer him the best ‘protection’.
2. On 8 July 2012, at about 10.15pm, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers directed a departing Malaysia-registered van for checks at the Tuas Checkpoint. In the course of physical inspection, officers found a man hiding between the mattress and a row of cupboards behind the driver seat. The lone driver and his ‘undeclared’ passenger were immediately placed under arrest.
Innocuous-looking van stuffed with household furniture
3. Preliminary investigations revealed that the 37-year-old male Malaysian driver was promised SGD1, 000 to bring the immigration offender out of the country. The driver had met up with the 25-year-old Bangladeshi in Woodlands and instructed the latter to hide inside his van before proceeding to Tuas Checkpoint for departure.
Peek-A-Boo! Have you spotted him?
4. Both the driver and the immigration offender are currently under investigation for the offences. The vehicle used in the commission of the offences has been detained and are liable for forfeiture. The ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay, enter or depart Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane, while the penalties for illegal departure is a fine of up to $2,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both.
5. Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security. The enhanced security checks are critical to our nation’s security. We have tightened our security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands.
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
9 JULY 2012
2. On 8 July 2012, at about 10.15pm, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers directed a departing Malaysia-registered van for checks at the Tuas Checkpoint. In the course of physical inspection, officers found a man hiding between the mattress and a row of cupboards behind the driver seat. The lone driver and his ‘undeclared’ passenger were immediately placed under arrest.
Innocuous-looking van stuffed with household furniture
3. Preliminary investigations revealed that the 37-year-old male Malaysian driver was promised SGD1, 000 to bring the immigration offender out of the country. The driver had met up with the 25-year-old Bangladeshi in Woodlands and instructed the latter to hide inside his van before proceeding to Tuas Checkpoint for departure.
Peek-A-Boo! Have you spotted him?
4. Both the driver and the immigration offender are currently under investigation for the offences. The vehicle used in the commission of the offences has been detained and are liable for forfeiture. The ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay, enter or depart Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane, while the penalties for illegal departure is a fine of up to $2,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both.
5. Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security. The enhanced security checks are critical to our nation’s security. We have tightened our security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands.
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
9 JULY 2012