Singapore company manager fined for confining three Indian nationals

A company manr in Singapore was fined Singapore dollars 9,000 on Thursday for wrongfully confining three Indian nationals working for him in a room for around 40 days amid COVID-19 outbreak.

workers were first confined from May 12 to 15, and n over a five-week stretch, from May 19 to June 26, Straits Times reported.

Shaun Pang Tong Heng h earlier pleed guilty to three counts of wrongful confinement.

Indian workers are Ganesan Pandi, Pandiyan Jakakanthan and Muthuraj Thangaraj. Three or similar charges involving same men were considered during sentencing, report said.

Lawyer Md or E enaan, who represented 41-year-old Singaporean, told District Judge Prem Raj that his client is remorseful.

Shaun saw men as "troublemakers".

lawyer said that during outbreak, Pandi and Jakakanthan h left ir place of residence in Tuas to buy alcohol despite being housed near a COVID-19 cluster.

Jakakanthan also drove a company lorry without a licence. As for Thangaraj, lawyer said, he was previously caught for drink driving.

court heard that room trio were confined in h clean beds, a bathroom, as well as a Wi-Fi connection. y were also given meals and ample water.

But Deputy Public Prosecutor Eric Hu said it was excuse for manr to take matters into his own hands.

Before handing out sentence, judge said manr should have tified police about workers.

For each count of wrongful confinement, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined.