SINGAPORE - A Uber private-hire car driver was jailed for three weeks on Monday (April 10) for misappropriating a passenger's mobile phone.

Thirujayyan Balasubramaniyam, 24, pleaded guilty to taking Mr Tan Kok Boon's phone worth $800 from the front passenger seat of the car at about 4am on Nov 6 last year.

Investigations showed that Mr Tan, 31, boarded the Uber car, driven by Thirujayyan, near Parklane shopping mall at about 3am that day to go home.

The court heard that he recalled still using his mobile phone during the journey home. But some time during his journey, he inadvertently dropped the phone in the car.

He did not suspect anything was amiss when he got home in Upper Serangoon.

When he woke up at about 10am that day, he found his phone missing. When he could not find it at home, he tried to call his mobile phone number and was able to get through, hearing it ring several times.

After several attempts, he was no longer able to get through.

Mr Tan made a police report that day. Police traced the mobile phone through Uber to Thirujayyan.

Thirujayyan admitted that he had found the victim's phone underneath the front passenger seat. He decided to keep the phone. He removed the SIM card from the phone and threw it away. He also tried to enter his e-mail's password to activate the phone.

He neither informed Uber about finding the phone nor made any attempt to return the phone to the victim, despite knowing his address.

Thirujayyan could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined for dishonest misappropriation.