Ten men and a woman from Indonesia were each fined $4,000 on Thursday for selling otah without valid work passes.

They pleaded guilty to one charge each of engaging in the trade of selling otah at various locations between April 27 and June 11. Their ages ranged from 21 to 60. The court heard that all 11 were on social visit passes which did not allow them to take up employment in Singapore.

Investigation showed police found them in a van at a road block along Bukit Panjang Road at about 2.45am on June 12 while they were on their way to a house at Jalan Machang in Sembawang.

The matter was referred to the Ministry of Manpower. None of the 11 paid the fine and will each serve a default sentence of 10 days' jail. The maximum punishment for the offence is a $20,000 fine and two years' jail.