$1.3m heist: 3 jailed for dealing in stolen
cellphones
2 men get 5 months each; third person jailed for 3
months
By Elena Chong
Aug 05, 2006
The Straits Times
THREE men were jailed yesterday for dealing in stolen cellphones
that came off a truck whose driver was killed by the robbers.
Thirumanathan Raja Gopal, 37, was jailed five months for helping
dispose of 200 phones worth $96,000 on May 31.
Sivaraman Kaliaya Perumal, 36, got five months for receiving 20
phones from a second-hand dealer the same day.
The dealer, Deena Dayalan Dayalan Satha Sivam, 36, got three months
for receiving the phones from another man earlier that day.
The Sony Ericsson phones were part of a $1.3 million heist.
Delivery driver Wan Cheon Kem, 46, was assaulted and robbed of his
cargo of 2,700 cellphones while driving along Changi Coastal Road
on May 30. Mr Wan died six days later.
Both Thirumanathan and Deena got the phones from two of the alleged
killers, Nakamuthu Balakrishnan, 48, and Arsan Krishnasamy
Govindarajoo, 38, the day after the robbery.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chew Chin Yee said at about 7pm on May 31,
Thirumanathan received a call from Arsan to prepare two empty
boxes.
Arsan then arrived in a lorry. He and Thirumanathan then drove with
the two empty boxes to Benoi Place where two others joined them.
There, Thirumanathan and Arsan packed 200 phones into the two
boxes.
They then went to Jurong.
The two boxes of phones were sold to unknown men for $50,000. Arsan
took the money and gave part of it to his wife, who gave $2,000 to
Thirumanathan.
In the other case, Balakrishnan contacted Deena and offered to sell
him 20 phones. Deena contacted Sivaraman and asked him to help find
a buyer. Sivaraman contacted second-hand goods dealer Lee Chin
Seng, 47, who agreed to buy them for $300 each.
Deena then offered to pay $280 for each phone from Balakrishnan. He
passed 20 pieces to Sivaraman, who sold them to Lee for $6,000.
Both men received $200 each as profit.
Lee's case has been fixed for a pre-trial conference on
Thursday.