Two Indian nationals, Arokkiyasami Daison and Rajendran Mayilarasan, have been sentenced to prison in Singapore after being convicted of robbing and assaulting sex workers. The men, who were visiting the city-state as tourists, targeted two women in separate hotel rooms on April 24.
In the first incident, Daison and Mayilarasan met a sex worker in a Jalan Besar hotel room. They proceeded to tie her up, slap her, and stole her jewellery, $2,000 in cash, and her passport. Later that night, they encountered a second sex worker, whom they also robbed, taking two mobile phones and $800 in cash, along with her passport.
Authorities were alerted to the crimes when the second victim reported the incident. During questioning, the men reportedly cited financial difficulties as the reason for their actions. Daison stated that his father’s recent death and his family’s financial struggles motivated the robberies. Mayilarasan, similarly, mentioned that his wife and child were suffering financially in India.
Both Arokkiyasami Daison, 23, and Rajendran Mayilarasan, 27, pleaded guilty to the charges. They were each sentenced to five years and one month in jail, and also received 12 strokes of the cane.