THREE men have been charged in Singapore for allegedly allowing their bank accounts to be used by criminal syndicates to launder scam proceeds amounting to millions of dollars.
Muhammad Danish Aqid Azman, 21; Mohamed Rizan Abdul Majeed, 43; and Deebenraj M Sivakumar, 30, were charged on 3 November.
The Straits Times reported on Monday that they are among 17 individuals arrested for their suspected involvement in various scams that collectively caused losses exceeding S$1.6 million.
The group comprised 14 men and three women, aged between 17 and 45. The remaining suspects are expected to face charges between 4 and 7 November.
The scams reportedly involved impersonations of government officials, fraudulent investment schemes and fake buyers.
All three accused were charged with providing unauthorised access to a bank account and assisting another person to retain the benefits of criminal conduct. Muhammad Danish Aqid also faces an additional charge of cheating.
According to court documents, Muhammad Danish Aqid and Mohamed Rizan allegedly relinquished control of their bank accounts to unidentified individuals in January, while Deebenraj did so in October 2024.
Deebenraj’s account was allegedly used to channel nearly S$37,000 in illicit proceeds, though the amounts tied to the other two accounts were not specified.
The court heard that Deebenraj intends to plead guilty, while Muhammad Danish Aqid is expected to face further charges at a later date. All three men have been released on bail.
On 2 November, police said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects had “allegedly relinquished or sold their bank accounts and Singpass credentials, enabling criminal syndicates to launder illicit proceeds”.
They will now face restrictions on access to certain banking services, including digital and mobile banking, card-based transactions and ATM withdrawals, to prevent further misuse of accounts for scam operations.
Since 2019, Singapore has lost more than S$3.4 billion to scams. Victims lost a record S$1.1 billion in 2024, with over S$600 million lost between January and August this year.
Under current laws, individuals who allow their bank accounts or Singpass credentials to be used in scams can face up to three years in prison and a fine of S$50,000. Following recommendations from an advisory panel in August 2024, such “money mules” now typically receive jail terms of at least six months.
In October, Parliament considered a proposal to introduce discretionary caning—of up to 12 strokes—for offenders convicted of such mule-related offences. - November 3, 2025
