Indian-origin man sentenced to 23 months’ jail for cheating through Singapore online marketplace

Singapore, Feb 6 (PTI) An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to 23 months’ jail for cheating a woman he met on Singapore's online marketplace of over SGD268,000.

Thevendran Elan Goven, 31, was handed the sentence on Thursday, after he earlier pleaded guilty to one count of cheating, The Straits Times reported. Two other similar charges were taken into consideration.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Suriya Prakash told the court previously that Thevendran did not stop cheating the victim even after all her money was gone.

The court heard that the victim was 25 years old at the time of the offences, according to the Singapore daily report.

On or before July 24, 2021, Thevendran posted a listing on Carousell for a PlayStation 4 (PS4), and the victim responded.

He told her the game console would be delivered within seven days if she paid a deposit of SGD150, and said she had to pay a balance of another SGD150 after it was delivered.

The woman transferred SGD150 to Thevendran on July 24, 2021. The pair continued messaging on Carousell about unrelated matters before continuing their conversation on WhatsApp.

Three days later, he asked her to pay the remaining SGD150 for the console, which he had not delivered, and an additional SDG49 for some PS4 games. The victim complied and transferred SGD199, but did not receive the items.

Thevendran continued to message the victim on WhatsApp and began calling her. The victim believed that she had fostered a friendship with him.

Between August and December 2021, he cheated her of more than SGD246,000 in total over 48 occasions.

He lied to her that he needed to borrow money for various reasons, including to fund his “court case”, for his dental bill, to pay his supplier, and even because his dog was sick.

In reality, he used these ill-got gains to fund personal expenses and settle gambling debts.

By August that year, he came to know that she had received a sum of money from insurance and Central Provident Fund payouts following her mother’s death.

Even when the victim told him she had given him all her money, Thevendran continued deceiving her to deliver funds to him.

His offences finally came to light when the victim’s father alerted the police about money that was missing from his bank account.

The DPP said that Thevendran made restitution of SGD24,000 to the woman in July 2024 and SGD80,000 in June 2025.

Before handing down the sentence, District Judge Janet Wang noted the psychological harm and financial loss suffered by the victim. PTI GS AMS