Jail for ex-ICA officer who stole travellers' cash cards worth $70 at Tuas Checkpoint
A former Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer has been sentenced to six weeks' jail for taking cash cards that travellers accidentally left behind at Tuas Checkpoint, Shin Min Daily News reported.
At the time of the offences, Siwashankali (transliterated), 38, was responsible for verifying the particulars of travellers at checkpoint counters.
Her actions came to light after a traveller lodged a loss report, prompting investigations which revealed that Siwashankali had taken two cards with a total value of about $70.
Siwashankali faced three charges of criminal breach of trust.
On Nov 12, she pleaded guilty to one charge, with the remaining charges taken into consideration during sentencing.
Travellers sometimes forget to retrieve their card after payment
When vehicles pass through Tuas Checkpoint, drivers are required to pay a toll by inserting their cash card into a reader. Occasionally, they forget to retrieve their cards after making payment.
In such cases, ICA officers are required to hand over these cash cards during shift changes.
The cards are then forwarded to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which checks the remaining balance, issues a receipt for record-keeping, and stores them securely.
Traveller lodged a loss report
On June 10, at about 2.27pm, a man identified as Mr Huang forgot to retrieve his cash card after clearing the checkpoint. The officer on duty had removed the card from the reader and placed it on the desk.
When Siwashankali arrived for her shift at about 3.39pm, she noticed the card, pushed it aside, and covered it with her bag. After the previous officer left, she took the card for herself.
Following Mr Huang's report, investigations were undertaken and the police alerted.
