An Indian-origin man was sentenced to three months and three weeks in jail on Thursday for committing bigamy after secretly marrying a younger colleague while still legally married to his first wife, according to court proceedings.
Under Singapore law, bigamy carries a mandatory jail term of up to seven years and a discretionary fine of up to S$10,000 (about Rs 6.77 lakh).
The accused, 49-year-old Vaithialingam Muthukumar , was exposed when his first wife spotted him at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in September 2023, where his second wife had just given birth. She discovered the secret marriage by “pure chance” after seeing him near the delivery suite, the South China Morning Post reported.
Muthukumar had married his first wife, a Singaporean now aged 55, in India in 2007. He joined her in Singapore in 2011 and later entered into a relationship with his colleague, 43-year-old Singaporean Salmah Bee Abdul Razak. Despite knowing he was married, Salmah agreed to wed him in August 2022 in a Muslim ceremony in Nagore, India. Prosecutors said the marriage remains valid and undissolved.
The couple had a son in September 2023. By then, Muthukumar was living with his first wife in Singapore while maintaining contact with Salmah.
In June 2024, Muthukumar applied for permanent residency with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), falsely declaring that he had no other marriages and listing his first wife as the local sponsor. The application was rejected in October.
Muthukumar pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bigamy with his second wife and to making a false declaration in his permanent residence application. A third similar false declaration in a visit pass application was taken into consideration during sentencing.
The court noted that Muthukumar had deceived both his wives.
Under Singapore law, bigamy carries a mandatory jail term of up to seven years and a discretionary fine of up to S$10,000 (about Rs 6.77 lakh).
The accused, 49-year-old Vaithialingam Muthukumar , was exposed when his first wife spotted him at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in September 2023, where his second wife had just given birth. She discovered the secret marriage by “pure chance” after seeing him near the delivery suite, the South China Morning Post reported.
Muthukumar had married his first wife, a Singaporean now aged 55, in India in 2007. He joined her in Singapore in 2011 and later entered into a relationship with his colleague, 43-year-old Singaporean Salmah Bee Abdul Razak. Despite knowing he was married, Salmah agreed to wed him in August 2022 in a Muslim ceremony in Nagore, India. Prosecutors said the marriage remains valid and undissolved.
The couple had a son in September 2023. By then, Muthukumar was living with his first wife in Singapore while maintaining contact with Salmah.
In June 2024, Muthukumar applied for permanent residency with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), falsely declaring that he had no other marriages and listing his first wife as the local sponsor. The application was rejected in October.
Muthukumar pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bigamy with his second wife and to making a false declaration in his permanent residence application. A third similar false declaration in a visit pass application was taken into consideration during sentencing.
The court noted that Muthukumar had deceived both his wives.
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