Tourist jailed for stealing from Marina Bay Sands Casino

An Indonesian tourist was caught on CCTV stealing slot machine tickets.

Singapore.- An Indonesian tourist, Silitonga Andri Parulian, has been sentenced to four months in jail for misappropriating S$24,000 (US$18,000) worth of slot machine tickets from the Marina Bay Sands Casino.

According to the Malay Mail, Silitonga came across eight tickets, each valued at SG$3,000 (US$2,250), which had fallen out of a staff member’s ticket folder near the entrance of the exclusive Ruby Room. He cashed in the tickets and attempted to leave the country via Changi Airport but there were no flights to Jakarta.

Forced to stay at Changi Airport overnight, Silitonga contacted a friend to help transfer SG$2,000 into his Indonesian bank account the following day. Using Western Union, he sent SG$3,000 to his Indonesian bank account and SG$2,000 to his girlfriend’s. On the next day, Silitonga sent a further SG$8,000 to his own account and S$2,000 to a friend’s account.

However, casino staff discovered the missing tickets and reported the incident to the police. Silitonga was identified in CCTV footage. He was directed to report to the Central Police Divisional Headquarters when he tried to clear immigration and board a flight.

During the court proceedings, Silitonga, who chose not to be represented by legal counsel, expressed remorse for his actions and pleaded for a lighter sentence. District judge Crystal Tan acknowledged his remorse but ultimately agreed with the prosecution’s recommendation of a four-month jail term, citing the amount involved. The SG$24,000 remains unrecovered.

See also: Singapore: 2 arrested for alleged money laundering linked to illegal gambling