Past month a roller coaster: Woman whose car’s plates were the same as vehicle found with weapons

SINGAPORE - About seven months after getting her car, a grey Mitsubishi Lancer, Ms Lee started receiving letters for various offences she said she had not committed.

These included speeding and not obeying parking signs between April and May, Ms Lee told The Straits Times.

After she found out that one of the incidents happened at night, Ms Lee said she started trying to return home as early as possible so she would have an alibi if more offences happened.

The 39-year-old administrative clerk, who wanted to be known only by her surname, received a $70 fine for failure to obey signs exhibited in a parking place on April 29 in Yishun. She also received another two letters for speeding in Yishun in May. She said she had not visited these places at the time of the offences, and has since made police reports. ST has seen these documents.

“The past month has been a roller-coaster ride for me,” she said.

On May 28, Ms Lee was at home in Toa Payoh when a car – which has the same licence plate as hers, and looks similar to her vehicle – was involved in an incident in Admiralty Road.

In viral videos circulating on several online platforms, a man in a grey top is seen confronting the dark-coloured car, which had stopped at a traffic junction.

The car is seen trying to manoeuvre its way out, and collides with a lorry and then a car. Two uniformed police officers are seen hitting the driver’s window, and a man was subsequently pulled out of the car and subdued while face down on the road.

The police said in a release on May 29 that they had arrested a 36-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a case of rash conduct, possession of offensive weapon, possession of scheduled weapon, and suspected drug-related offences.

They added that they had received a call for assistance at the junction of Admiralty Road and Marsiling Lane at about 5.50pm. The police arrested the man after a short scuffle.

It was later established that the driver was wanted by the police and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) for multiple offences.

A baton, a knuckle duster, a pocket knife, a bank card, seven cash cards, substances believed to be controlled drugs, and drug utensils were seized from the vehicle.

Preliminary investigations by CNB showed that the man’s urine tested positive for controlled drugs.

The driver is to be charged in court on May 30 over various offences, including rash conduct and possession of weapons.

The police said they are seeking to remand him to facilitate further investigations for other offences, including driving without a valid driving licence and insurance, using a deregistered vehicle, and fraudulent possession of property. The driver may face more charges subsequently after investigations are completed, they added.

“The police have zero tolerance for such brazen and reckless acts which could have potentially caused harm to members of the public, road users as well as police officers,” the police said.

“We will not hesitate to take stern action against those who blatantly disregard the law. Members of the public are reminded that it is an offence to carry an offensive weapon in a public place or possess any scheduled weapon.”

The man clad in grey in the viral videos was later identified as Mr Maurice Nadarajan, a salesman at A Star Motors, the car dealer Ms Lee bought her car from.

Mr Kreetharan Kathireson, the car dealer’s owner, told ST the company had been aware of Ms Lee’s situation earlier, and Mr Nadarajan was in Yishun when he spotted the car involved in the incident in Admiralty.

Mr Nadarajan then tailed the car for about 40 minutes, hoping to stop the driver, said Mr Kreetharan. He added that Mr Nadarajan also notified the police. Mr Nadarajan suffered some cuts on his arm and a back injury during the scuffle.

On why he risked his safety to stop the driver in Admiralty, Mr Nadarajan said: “Our customer was really worried and anxious about her situation, and I just wanted to make sure that this issue gets settled. I was not thinking about anything else.”

Touched by Mr Nadarajan’s actions, Ms Lee said: “When I saw the video, I am grateful that his service did not stop after the car was sold to me, but I also feel guilty that he was hurt in the process.”

Correction note: An earlier version of the story named the car dealer as A Star Motor instead of A Star Motors. This has been corrected. We are sorry for the error.