Razieya Mohamed Ali, a part-time real estate agent fooled eight foreigners in a rental scam and collected almost $22,000 for herself and her accomplices. She was jailed for 11 months by a district court.
From November 2008 to February 2009, the 34-year-old divorcee posted flats-for-rent advertisements on the Internet and invited foreigners working in the country to view the premises.
To lure foreigners to sign the tenancy agreement after viewing the flats, she would lease them at a very low price. She knew all along that the flats were occupied and by the time her victims learned about it, she and her accomplices were nowhere to be found.
However, the police tracked her down.
Initially, she denied the allegations and on the first day of the trial on Nov 30, her friend showed up instead, claiming that Razieya had been raped by her ex-husband and was not in any condition to attend court proceedings.
However, there was no medical certificate or police report that was offered.
According to Santhra Aiyyasamy, the Assistant Public Prosecutor, Razieya did not attend any police interview to substantiate the accusation.
As Razieya had targeted foreigners, who were susceptible to such scams, the prosecutor asked for a deterrent sentence.
Two of her accomplices were dealt with last year. Letchimi Kasinathan, 52, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years’ jail, while Axley Alexander Ryan Shah, 40, a serial offender, was sentenced to six years.
The third accomplice remains at large — Arul Rajoo Michael Rajoo, 39.
The court heard that in January 2009, he hatched a plan with Ryan and Razieya to offer his leased flat for rent to foreigners and to deceive them of the deposit and rental. Their victims included Filipino, Chinese, Myanmar and Indian nationals.
Razieya also conspired with Letchimi, whose son stayed in a leased flat located in Lengkok Bahru, near Jalan Bukit Merah. Without his son’s knowledge, they offered the flat to Mr. Jun Ojima, a 43-year-old Japanese, who is working in Singapore as a golf coach, for $1,000 per month on January 1, 2009.
A deposit of $1,000 was handed over by Mr. Jun, but after two days, he complained that the rent was too high and the two women reduced it to $700 on the condition that he pay-up six months in advance.
Payment was made but Razieya cancelled the agreement just before he could move in.