6-9-2024 (SINGAPORE) 5 Nepalese men, all serving as officers in Singapore’s esteemed Gurkha police contingent, have been sentenced to jail terms for their involvement in an unlicensed money remittance operation. The case, which came to light following a raid at the Gurkha Contingent camp in March 2022, has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community and raised questions about financial oversight within the force.
The Singapore court handed down sentences on Thursday, with Sitaram Tamang, 40, receiving the harshest penalty of five months’ imprisonment. Tamang pleaded guilty to abetting the provision of an unlicensed payment service, having handled a staggering S$2.87 million in illegal transactions.
Dik Bahadur Gurung, 32, was given 14 weeks’ jail for his role in transactions totalling S$1.59 million.
Ganga Prasad Rai, 43, received a 10-week sentence for handling S$1.06 million in illegal remittances.
Mingmar Sherpa, 44, and Ashok Kumar Thapa, 39, were sentenced to seven and four weeks respectively for their part in the scheme.
The illicit operation was allegedly initiated by Pratik Tamang, a retired Gurkha officer who began offering remittance services to fellow officers in June 2021. Pratik, who has since returned to Nepal and remains at large, is said to have recruited several of the convicted men to assist in the operation.
The scheme involved Gurkha officers transferring Singapore dollars to the accused, who would then arrange for equivalent amounts in Nepalese rupees to be disbursed to beneficiaries in Nepal. The operation expanded to include transfers to other countries, including England and Australia, often to assist family members of the officers involved.
In a particularly intriguing case, Mingmar Sherpa’s wife, Pema, spearheaded a remittance service targeting Gurkha officers and their spouses. Operating through her husband’s bank account, she processed nearly S$472,000 in transactions over a six-month period, applying a mark-up to each transfer.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has stated that internal action against the officers will commence, following their immediate removal from frontline duties when the offences came to light.
