BATAN, INDONESIA:A Singaporean man has been arrested in Batam, Indonesia, on charges of sexually abusing his underage stepdaughter for over two years.

The 50-year-old suspect, identified only as AH, was apprehended at his residence in the Mutiara View housing complex on 7 September.

As per reported by local media, police alleged that AH repeatedly sexually assaulted his 16-year-old stepdaughter, AF, during his frequent visits to Batam.

According to Senior Police Commissioner Heribertus Ompusunggu, chief of the Barelang precinct police, the perpetrator engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim an estimated 120 times during his weekly trips to the Indonesian island.

The alleged abuse began in June 2022, shortly after AF, who used to live with her grandmother in Karawang, West Java,  moved to Batam to live with her mother.

One day in July 2022, the girl slept in the same room with AH while her mother was in another room.

The police believed that after AH may have gave AF a drink laced with jasmine flowers, he allegedly sexually assaulted her.

On 7 September, the victim’s mother sought help from a friend to escape the house, unable to endure her husband’s violent behaviour and the sexual abuse of her daughter.

The victim’s mother was afraid to report the abuse due to repeated threats from the alleged perpetrator.

The police have detained AH for further investigation into alleged violations of the 2016 law on child protection.

If found guilty, he could face a prison sentence of five to 15 years, with an additional punishment of one-third of the jail term due to his status as the victim’s stepfather.

SINGAPORE: The head of a Japanese criminal syndicate accused of laundering ¥70 billion (S$628.7 million) for organized crime had ties to Singapore, including property ownership and directorships in local firms, The Straits Times reports.

Sotaro Ishikawa (石川宗太郎), 35, fled Japan in February amid police investigations but maintained a condominium in Bukit Timah and was appointed director of the Singaporean software firm, Rivaton, in March.

Ishikawa’s syndicate, Rivaton Group, is believed to have over 40 members and systematically set up shell companies in Japan to launder money linked to scams and illegal gambling.

The Osaka Prefectural Police revealed the group utilized corporate accounts of at least 500 companies and 4,000 bank accounts to process illicit funds.

Both Ishikawa and his second-in-command, Kosuke Yamada (山田耕介), 39, were arrested on 9 July after returning to Japan from Dubai.

Syndicate Leadership Tied to Singapore

Several senior members of the syndicate were also linked to Singapore-based companies.

Yamada, who resided in the same Bukit Timah condominium as Ishikawa, was appointed director of KO Enterprise Next in September 2023.

Takamasa Ikeda (池田隆雅), 38, the group’s third-ranking officer, lived in Novena and was director of local advertising firm Glosal, having been arrested on 2 September after flying from Singapore to Japan.

Japanese authorities issued a wanted notice in August for five senior syndicate members, including Ishikawa, Yamada, and Ikeda.

The other two leaders, Hiroyuki Kawasaki (川崎博之) and Shinya Ito (伊藤真也), were arrested in the Philippines, with plans for their extradition to Japan.

Shell Companies and a Singapore Connection

The syndicate allegedly operated with layers of management, functioning like a legitimate business.

According to the Sankei Shimbun, the group maintained standard office hours, managed by three tiers of staff, and operated with detailed procedures to avoid suspicion.

This included automated systems that transferred funds between accounts based on balance levels or timing.

In Singapore, all of the companies linked to the syndicate were established by a Japanese lawyer and Singapore permanent resident.

He claimed to have conducted thorough due diligence checks on the suspects, including meeting them personally in Japan and verifying their documents.

The lawyer expressed shock upon recognizing one of the men arrested in Japan and subsequently filed a suspicious transaction report with Singaporean authorities.

While cooperating fully with Japanese officials, he stated that he had not been contacted by Singapore authorities regarding the case.

Authorities Continue Investigations

The Rivaton Group allegedly provided money-laundering services to various criminal organizations under the guise of being a payment solutions provider.

A Japanese police official noted the syndicate’s organizational structure, with clear divisions of responsibility in areas such as fund transfers and interaction with financial institutions.

The lawyer responsible for setting up the shell companies emphasized that he had taken extra precautions after Singapore’s S$3 billion money laundering case earlier this year but had found nothing suspicious in his dealings with the syndicate members.