Security officer among 3 accused of breaching stay-home notice
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Quresh Singh Sandhu allegedly headed for work at Marina Bay Sands on his return from Batam, despite receiving an SHN.
Cara Wong
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A security officer who was on a stay-home notice (SHN) breached it repeatedly to continue working, the court heard yesterday.
Quresh Singh Sandhu, 28, is said to have headed straight to work at Marina Bay Sands after returning to Singapore from Batam on March 17, despite receiving the SHN on the same day.
He is one of three Singaporeans charged yesterday over breaching the SHN. Quresh allegedly stayed over at his company's lodging in Dunlop Street the following day, instead of at his declared residence in Sembawang Drive. He then continued to commute to work by public transport between March 19 and 21, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a statement yesterday.
This was discovered when enforcement officers visited his Sembawang Drive home on March 21 and found him missing, said ICA.
Quresh said he intends to plead guilty. He is expected back in court on May 27.
Another Singaporean, Azhar Khamis, 54, was also served an SHN when he returned to Singapore from Batam on March 26. However, he allegedly spent the night at his sister's place, instead of at his own declared place of residence in Tampines.
ICA said he left her place on March 27 and spent the next few days in public areas at HarbourFront. ICA officers found him at Singapore Cruise Centre on April 5.
Azhar's defence counsel said he was homeless, and asked for an adjournment of the matter. He will be back in court on May 29.
Zahari Samat, 60, was also accused of breaching his SHN, after returning to Singapore from Batam on April 1.
Zahari had headed to a rented place in North Bridge Road, instead of his declared place of accommodation in Ang Mo Kio on the same day.
He visited the ICA Building the next day to inform an officer that he wished to update the address where he would serve his SHN.
Officers advised him to return to his North Bridge Road accommodation immediately and told him to stay there at all times for the rest of the SHN.
However, Zahari was caught leaving his accommodation again on April 8 by narcotics officers who were stationed at an open-air carpark near his place. Zahari told the court it was a "silly mistake" and said he intends to plead guilty. He is due back in court on May 27.
Those convicted of an offence under the Infectious Diseases Act and its Regulations are liable to a fine of up to $10,000, or up to six months' imprisonment, or both.
