On 25 October 2016 at about 11.20pm, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at Woodlands Checkpoint were informed that a man was sighted swimming towards the water pipeline alongside the Causeway. ICA and Police Coast Guard (PCG) officers were immediately deployed to search for the man. The 30-year-old male Bangladesh national was successfully located underneath the water pipeline and arrested.

Location where the Bangladesh national was arrested


Bangladesh national found to have overstayed in Singapore

 

2.        PCG officers also found a pair of blue jeans hanging at the railing along Woodlands Waterfront. Prior to the arrest, PCG’s patrol officers were at the vicinity of the Causeway and did a routine check on two other male Bangladesh nationals, aged 34 and 37 years old. It was later established that the said two male Bangladesh nationals were there to assist the 30-year-old male Bangladesh national in his attempt to depart Singapore illegally by acting as look-outs. The two male Bangladesh nationals were subsequently arrested for their involvement in the crime.

3.         The ICA and PCG take a serious view of attempts 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 abetting a person to leave Singapore illegally is a jail term of not less than six months and not more than two years and shall also be liable to a fine not exceeding $6,000.

4.         Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security. The security checks are critical to our nation’s security. We will continue to conduct security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints and our maritime border to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands.



IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
27 OCTOBER 2016