Indonesian arrested by S'pore police coast guard for involvement in illegal entry case tested positive for Covid-19

He is accused of facilitating the illegal entry of four Indonesian men in October 2020.

Julia Yeo | December 03, 2020, 06:28 PM

An Indonesian man who was arrested by the Police Coast Guard (PCG) for his suspected involvement in an illegal entry case in October 2020 tested positive for Covid-19.

Tested positive for Covid-19 after arrest

He is suspected of facilitating the illegal entry of four Indonesian men back in October.

The man, 43, was among 10 Covid-19 cases that were reported on Dec. 1, 2020.

According to the Ministry of Health's (MOH) press release on Dec. 1, the suspect is a special pass holder who entered Singapore from Indonesia.

After his arrest, he was tested for Covid-19 infection, and isolated until he was conveyed to the hospital when his result came back positive.

According to CNA, the police said that the man was arrested on Nov. 29, underwent a swab test treatment, and tested positive on the same day.

"The police were notified of his test result, and assisted the Ministry of Health with contact tracing efforts," the police statement to CNA said.

Officers identified to have been in close contact with the man have been quarantined, and premises that the man was present in have also been disinfected thoroughly in accordance NEA's guidelines, the police said.

Four Indonesian men charged with unlawful entry

On Oct. 9, four Indonesian men were detected on Tuas Reclaimed Land at about 8:30pm by the PCG.

They had jumped off an unnumbered boat into the waters off Tuas Reclaimed Land before swimming towards the shoreline.

Image courtesy of SPF

Image courtesy of SPF

Arrested and handed over to ICA

Following the detection, officers from PCG, Jurong Police Division, Gurkha Contingent, Special Operations Command and Home Team Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Unit responded to intercept the four men.

They were arrested within five hours.

SPF added that the men have been handed over to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for further investigations.

The four men, aged between 19 to 38, were charged in court with unlawful entry on Oct. 10, 2020.

If convicted, they could be jailed for up to six months and receive a minimum of three strokes of the cane.

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Top image via SPF