By A 30-year-old male Bangladesh national was arrested by the coast guards on Tuesday for trying to swim out of Singapore through the Woodlands Waterfront.
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at Woodlands Checkpoint were informed on 25 October 2016 at about 11.20pm that a man was sighted swimming towards the water pipeline alongside the Causeway.
ICA and Police Coast Guard (PCG) officers were immediately deployed to search for the man. The 30-year-old male Bangladesh national was successfully located underneath the water pipeline and arrested.
The statement said that PCG officers also found a pair of blue jeans hanging at the railing along Woodlands Waterfront. Prior to the arrest, PCG’s patrol officers were at the vicinity of the Causeway and did a routine check on two other male Bangladesh nationals, aged 34 and 37 years old.
The authorities stated that the two male Bangladesh nationals were there to assist the 30-year-old male Bangladesh national in his attempt to depart Singapore illegally by acting as look-outs. The two male Bangladesh nationals were subsequently arrested for their involvement in the crime.
It is unknown if the Bangladesh male who was caught leaving Singapore illegally, had overstayed in Singapore.
The ICA and PCG emphasis that Singapore takes a serious view of attempts to overstay, enter or depart Singapore illegally.
Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane, while the penalties for abetting a person to leave Singapore illegally is a jail term of not less than six months and not more than two years and shall also be liable to a fine not exceeding $6,000.