Truck driver charged after allegedly helping man get bail illegally from S’pore

SINGAPORE – A Malaysian truck driver appeared in the District Court on October 25 after he allegedly helped a man who was out on bail illegally leave Singapore for Johor.

Thanesh Murugan, 23, is said to have allowed Chee Wai Yuen, 36, to hide behind the driver’s seat of a Malaysian-registered truck that was allegedly headed to Malaysia on April 5 through the Tuas checkpoint without Chee showing his passport to the authorities.

On October 25, Thanesh was charged under the Immigration Act. His case was adjourned until November 1.

Chee, who is also Malaysian, was charged in March He allegedly participated in a plan to break into a warehouse this month unit to steal vaping-related items seized by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

Details regarding the exact location of the warehouse cannot be disclosed due to the silence order.

Chee and two Singaporeans – Elvin Suriaganandhan (22) and Lim Zhi Wei (38) – were charged with burglary.

After being charged, Chee was released on bail when he allegedly illegally left Singapore for his home country the following month.

Chee, Elvin and Lim are allegedly in a conspiracy with 33-year-old Chua Wee Ming to break into a home and steal more than $6 million in vaping-related items.

On October 18, Chua, considered a key member of the e-vaporizer trading consortium, he was charged with a number of crimes including fraud and committing an act likely to obstruct justice. He is said to have arranged a driver to take Chee from Singapore to Malaysia.

Chua was arrested on October 10 following an island-wide operation

In a joint statement, police and HSA said: “Preliminary investigations indicate that he allegedly organized the import and distribution of e-vaporizers from Malaysia to Singapore and supplied them to local residents.”

The cases involving Chua, Chee, Elvin and Lim are still pending.