Indian chef jailed for molesting teenage girls in Singapore

PTI, Jun 24, 2023, 11:27 AM IST

A 44-year-old chef from India has been sentenced to three months and four weeks’ jail for molesting two teenage girls in Singapore

Sushil Kumar pleaded guilty to two charges of molesting the victims, reported TODAY newspaper on Friday.

Just about three months after he first molested a teenage girl in broad daylight near a subway train station, he targeted another girl whom he touched without consent and declared his “love” for her even though she did not know him.

On both occasions, Kumar spent an inordinate amount of time hugging, kissing or touching the girls.

The court heard that on the afternoon of August 2 last year, the victim, who was 14 years old then, was walking home from Boon Keng train station when Kumar stopped in front of her to speak to her.

Unable to understand him, the victim thought that he was asking her for directions to the station.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Delicia Tan said the girl pointed towards the station and the convict responded by wrapping his arms around her shoulders and coming into body contact with her without her consent.

He also kissed the girl on her right cheek. Kumar then asked her for her mobile phone number and saved it. He then hugged the girl again and kissed her right cheek several times.

He later used his mobile phone to take a number of “selfie” photos of him and the girl. Kumar even asked if she wanted to eat with him but the girl said she needed to return home.

He hugged and kissed her cheek again for another one to two minutes before telling her that she could call him if she needed money.

After he walked away, the girl ran home and told her mother about the incident. A police report was made that evening.

Investigations later revealed that after this encounter, Kumar sent two text messages through WhatsApp to the girl, tried to video-call her twice and sent her another text message containing two emojis of which one was blowing a kiss.

Kumar was arrested the next day and released on station bail a day later.

A few months later on the evening of November 8, a 19-year-old was waiting at the lift lobby of a housing block when Kumar intended to outrage her modesty suddenly touched the teenager’s arm with his hand.

He then asked her about her race and told her that he loves people of her race.

As he stroked her arm, the teenager tried to move away but he persisted and rubbed her arm.

By this time, another man had arrived at the lift lobby and stood behind Kumar.

Kumar continued to strike up a conversation with the teenager as he touched her arm. The three of them later entered the lift.

After the other man got off on the seventh floor, Kumar repeatedly told the teenager that he “loved” her and blew kisses at her twice.

This left her feeling scared since they were in an enclosed area and she did not know what to do, DPP Tan said.

Once the teenager reached the 15th floor, she rushed out of the lift and returned home to tell her mother about what had happened.

It is not known if the teenager made a police report.

Kumar was later traced and placed under arrest on November 8 at his residence and surveillance footage from the lift was seized by the police.

In delivering the sentence, District Judge Paul Chan said he did not accept Kumar’s claim of remorse because someone who is genuinely remorseful would not go on to commit the same offence a few months later.

The judge added that it was especially disconcerting that Kumar targeted a victim who was vulnerable and also behaved in a persistent and brazen manner when he committed his offences in a public place.

For using criminal force to outrage the modesty of the two victims, he could have been jailed up to two years, fined or caned, or with any combination of these punishments.