Fraud Motor Claim

Making false insurance claims from staged road accidents has landed a Malaysian woman in jail in Singapore, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported. A Singapore court found the woman guilty of two counts of conspiring to cheat NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative and AXA Insurance Singapore, sentencing her to a 14-month jail term.

Rekha Tandaeduban, 28, committed both offences in 2012, and had submitted total insurance claims amounting to about $37,000 (RM115,000). According to the report, she had also pleaded guilty to making a false police report and staging the road accidents. Seven other charges were also taken into consideration during the sentencing.

The scam was said to be operated by a syndicate which hired Malaysians to provide their cars to be used in the staged road accidents in Singapore. Aside from the driver, the syndicate also paid “phantom passengers” to be part of the scam.

According to the Singapore-based news network, the “victims” in these staged accidents would get a commission from the insurance payouts that are made from the false injury claims related to the “accidents”.

During the trial, the court heard that Rekha had entered Singapore on Aug 31, 2012, with two Malaysians – Navaneethan Tiban Sanggu (Navin), 30 and Tang Jui Peng, 41. They later teamed up with a few more Malaysians, two of whom were asked to pose as the passengers.

Tang is said to have briefed Rekha on what was to be done before she drove off with Navin as a front seat passenger and two others at the back. Rekha, under orders from Navin, then slammed the brake while they were on Eunos Link. The sudden stop caused a lorry to crash into the rear of their car.

The resultant fraudulent claims made by Rekha, after lodging a police report on the accident, amounted to S$14,426. However, CNA reported that NTUC Income Insurance refused to pay the amount, suspecting something was amiss.

In the second accident staged on Nov 29, Rekha used a different car but with the same modus operandi. A $22,755 claim for personal injury was then made with AXA. The insurer, however, paid out S$4,200. In her defence, Rekha told the court that she did not receive any money from the payout, and also accused Navin of forcing her to commit the offences.

According to CNA, Navin had also been detained and is awaiting trial, while police are still looking for Tang and another syndicate member Sua Sun Heng, who is said to have recruited Navin earlier that same year.