Indian national charged for duping insurance companies in Singapore

Singapore, Aug 10 (PTI) An Indian national in Singapore has been charged in a district court here with duping two insurance companies into disbursing nearly SGD 77,000 in settlement sums linked to two foreign workers’ injury claims.

Saha Ranjit Chandra, 48, allegedly deceived the insurance companies into believing that they were negotiating with an authorised person from Whitefield Law Corp under the Legal Profession Act, the police said in a statement on Tuesday.

For this offence, the court on Tuesday charged him with two counts of cheating.

If convicted, the offence carries an imprisonment term which may extend to 10 years and a fine, in respect of each charge, the statement said.

Between July 2020 and February 2021, Saha — who is a director at multiple firms — had allegedly negotiated and settled work injury claims with the insurance companies in the name of lawyer Charles Yeo Yao Hui, the then-director of Whitefield Law Corporation. Since 2022, Charles has been on the run from the law, according to court documents.

Charles had an arrest warrant issued against him in August 2022 after he absconded with criminal charges pending against him.

Separately, Saha is also accused of giving false information to a public servant, the Registrar of Regulated Dealers of the Ministry of Law, on January 15, 2022.

He allegedly failed to declare in his application for a precious stones and precious metals dealer licence on behalf of a company called Royal Jewellery that he was then under investigation in Singapore. Saha was legally bound to make such a declaration, according to court documents.

If convicted, the offence carries an imprisonment term which may extend to six months, or a fine which may extend to SGD 5,000, or both.