4 Indian nationals were convicted of gang robbery today at the courts for staging a false police raid on a shop believed to be involved in illegal money remittance, and making off with $1.27 million worth of cash in 2012.
A fifth accomplice, taxi driver and police reservist Mohammad Ansari Abdul Hussain, was sentenced to 8 years jail and 12 strokes of the cane in 2013 for providing the police uniforms and posing as a cop during the false raid.
On the day of the robbery, 2 of the men, music teacher Magesan Ramasamy, 36, and Mohamed Faizal Ajmalhan, 32, posed as police officers and forced their way into the shop along Dunlop Street on 10th September 2012. The robbers demanded the passports of the 3 Indian businessmen inside the shop and restrained the victims with flexi-cuffs, ordering them to sit or kneel before rummaging through the premises to make off with over $1 million worth of money and valuables.
2 of the members, construction workers Arunachalam Lakshmanan, 37, and Chinnaya Antony Samy, 38, kept a look-out on the street. These two men provided the rest of the gang with information about the victims, who they believed were involved in illegal money remittance.
The 4 men initially faced many other charges concerning earlier robberies and attempted robberies of money changers at Beach Road, Cecil Street, and an underpass at Ang Mo Kio MRT. However, these charges were only taken into consideration or withdrawn.
The men will be sentenced on 16th June. They face up to 20 years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane. For impersonating a police officer, the sentence can go up to 2 years in jail, a fine or both.