Two Indian men were arrested for assaulting and robbing two sex workers in hotel rooms while on holiday in Singapore. The men were identified as Arokkiyasami Daison, 23 and Rajendran Mayilarasan, 27.On Friday, they were each sentenced to five years and one month in prison, along with 12 strokes of the cane.The men pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt while committing robbery, news agency PTI reported citing The Straits Times.Court proceedings revealed that Arokkiyasami and Rajendran arrived in Singapore from India on April 24. Two days later, while walking in the Little India area, they were approached by an unidentified man who asked if they wanted to hire sex workers and provided the contact details of two women before leaving.
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Arokkiyasami told Rajendran that they needed money and suggested robbing the women in hotel rooms to which Rajendran agreed. They arranged to meet the first woman at a hotel around 6 pm that day.Inside the room, they tied the victim’s hands and legs with clothing and slapped her. They stole her jewellery, SGD 2000 in cash, passport and bank cards.Later that night, at around 11 pm, they lured the second woman to another hotel room, dragged her by the arms and Rajendran covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming.They stole SGD 800 in cash, two mobile phones and her passport, threatening her not to leave until they returned.The crimes were reported to police the following day when the second victim confided in another man.During mitigation, both men, who appeared unrepresented, pleaded for leniency. Arokkiyasami, through an interpreter, said, “My father passed away last year. I have three sisters, one of whom is married, and we have no money. That is why we did this.” Rajendran added, “My wife and child are alone in India, and they are financially suffering.”Under Singapore law, individuals who voluntarily cause hurt during a robbery face prison terms of five to 20 years and a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.
