Durian stall assistant jailed for stealing $17k is M’sian singer Diorlying Tan’s brother
The durian stall assistant who was jailed for stealing $17,300 from his employer to fund his gambling habit has been identified as the younger brother of Malaysian singer-songwriter Diorlying Tan.
On June 27, Shin Min Daily News reported that Malaysian national Tan An Sheng, 26, was sentenced to five months’ jail after admitting to one count of criminal breach of trust.
Tan stole a total of $17,300 from the safe at Ding Feng Durian Station in Bukit Batok Street 11 over two days in February before gambling away the money at Marina Bay Sands casino.
When Shin Min visited the stall and nearby coffee shop, it learnt from people familiar with the case that Tan is the younger brother of Malaysian singer Diorlying Tan.
Singer spoke publicly about brother’s gambling addiction
In a lengthy social media post published in October 2024, Diorlying revealed that her younger brother had struggled with a gambling addiction since his teens.
She alleged that he had accumulated huge gambling debts, stolen from family members, borrowed from loansharks and cheated others out of money, causing years of hardship for the family.
The post included photographs of Diorlying’s brother, one of which showed him kneeling on the floor in tears. Shin Min brought the photographs to Tan’s former workplace, where people confirmed he was the man in the pictures.
According to the singer, the family repeatedly gave him opportunities to change and paid off his debts, only for him to relapse.
“We believed every time would be the last,” Diorlying wrote.
She also recounted how she once tried to help him start afresh overseas after he wanted to flee because of his gambling debts.
Although she had no money then, she said she even gambled herself, handed him her winnings and arranged for friends in Australia to help him find work and buy an air ticket.
Family cut ties with him
Diorlying alleged that her brother later became more brazen, borrowing money from others using false stories, including claiming family members needed medical treatment or that his younger sister could not afford school fees.
She also accused him of pawning jewellery belonging to family members, including sentimental items left behind by their late mother.
According to the Malaysian singer, her brother also cheated relatives, friends, girlfriends and even some of her fans, allegedly using a durian business as an investment opportunity.
She said the family eventually decided to cut ties with him and publicly urged people not to believe anything he said or lend him money.
“Those who have been cheated by him, I suggest making a police report and having him arrested,” she wrote at the time.
Shin Min said it contacted Diorlying and her father for comment but did not receive a response before publication on June 28.
Local residents from their hometown in Johor also told Shin Min they were aware the former durian stall assistant had been working in Singapore.
Some recalled seeing Facebook posts warning others not to lend him money after he allegedly accumulated debts over the years.
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