Singapore, July 3, 2026: A Singapore court on Friday sentenced two Indian nationals to prison for operating an illegal cross-border remittance network that involved withdrawing money from migrant workers' bank accounts and sending the funds to India without the required licences, local daily The Straits Times reported.
Cousins Angappan Arivalagan, 33, and Durairaj Kulothungan, 27, were convicted under Singapore's relevant laws for carrying out unauthorised cross-border money transfer services.
Arivalagan was sentenced to 15 months and three weeks in jail and fined SGD 6,000, while Kulothungan received a prison term of eight months and three weeks.
Illegal Operation Targeted Migrant Workers
According to the report, Arivalagan persuaded several migrant workers staying in the same dormitory during the Covid-19 period to allow him to withdraw money from their bank accounts and arrange remittances to India.
The operation involved using the cash collected from the workers to purchase goods, which were then shipped overseas and sold for profit. Kulothungan joined the operation in March 2023, assisting Arivalagan by making daily cash withdrawals using the workers' ATM cards.
Arrests Followed Tip-Off
The illegal operation came to light in July 2023 after a bystander noticed Kulothungan withdrawing large amounts of cash from an ATM at Plaza Singapura and alerted the police. Officers arrested him at the scene and seized 51 ATM cards along with nearly SGD 75,000 in cash. Arivalagan was arrested the following month.
Also Watch:
More Than SGD 10 Million Remitted
Deputy Public Prosecutors Daphne Lim and Teng Yin Hang said that from January to March 12, 2023, a total of SGD 4,099,305 was illegally remitted from 28 bank accounts. They added that another SGD 6,166,515 was illegally remitted from 33 bank accounts between March 13 and July 2023.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
