2 March 2006 |
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Alert on Duo using Counterfeit Currency Notes |
Police would like to alert the public on two cases involving suspects presenting counterfeit Singapore currency notes to purchase goods and services.
The first case involved two men, believed to be Africans. They made an Internet order for ten sets of computer notebooks, a mobile phone and a PDA phone, with a total value of S$18,000, from a local computer retailer. The suspects instructed the victim, a 31-year-old Sales Manager, to deliver the goods to them in front of a hotel along Dickson Road .
On the evening of 23 February 2006 , the victim met up with the suspects and assisted them to load the goods into a taxi. One of the suspects flashed several stacks of what appeared to be Singapore currency notes before putting them into a bag and passing it to the victim. The suspects then boarded the taxi and left. The victim checked the contents of the bag and discovered the currency notes, in S$10 and S$50 denominations, with a face value of $17,950, were counterfeits. The victim gave chase in his car and managed to alert the taxi-driver to pull over. The moment the taxi came to a halt, the two suspects abandoned the loot in the taxi and fled on foot towards the direction of Dorset Road .
The other case happened on the evening of 27 February 2006 . Two men, also believed to be Africans, boarded a taxi along Queensway in front of Block 24 Tanglin Halt Road and directed the 70-year-old taxi-driver to send them to Block 723 West Coast Road. Upon arrival, one of the suspects handed the taxi-driver a S$50 currency note for the taxi-fare of $7.40. The taxi-driver returned a change of S$42. The following day, upon close examination of the currency note, the taxi-driver discovered that it was a counterfeit.
The counterfeit currency notes in both cases were of poor quality and were without any simulation of security features such as watermark, kinegram, security-thread or intaglio prints.
The two suspects involved in each of the two cases are believed to be the same persons. One of the suspects was described as stout-built, 1.8 metres in height, dark-complexioned, having high cheekbones and spotting a very short hairstyle, almost bald. The other suspect was described as medium-built, 1.7 metres in height, dark-complexioned with a lighter tone than the first suspect, having a long jaw and spotting a short and curly hairstyle.
Police take a very serious view against any person who uses as genuine, any forged or counterfeit currency note. A person convicted of such offence can be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment for a term of up to 10 years, and shall also be liable to a fine.
Members of the public who suspect that they have or may have received counterfeit currency notes, should not pass on the notes. They should retain the notes suspected to be counterfeit and report the matter to the Police immediately.
Anyone who has information on the two suspects is requested to contact the Police Hotline at 1800-2550000.
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