A 25-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to jail for 10 years and six months and a S$4,000 fine on Jul. 10, 2023, after pleading guilty to eight charges, including voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant to deter him from discharging his duty.

Nikhil M Durgude's other charges include possessing cannabis and consuming methamphetamine.

Nikhil and his accomplice Prakash Mathivanan, 39, first hit the headlines in 2020 when Prakash was shot in the abdomen during a raid on their apartment where he allegedly tried to grab a police officer's gun.

Prakash is currently serving his sentence for credit card fraud and drug offences. His other pending charges include a similar offence of assaulting a public servant during the raid.

Police raided unit to find suspects for cheating case

According to court documents for Nikhil's case, on Nov. 5, 2020, at around midnight, three plainclothes police officers raided a unit in Balestier’s City Suites condominium as part of an operation to track down suspects involved in a series of cheating cases.

Durgude, Prakash and a woman were in the living room, with another woman in the bedroom.

After the officers entered the unit and identified themselves as police, they ordered the three in the living room to squat down and place their hands on their heads.

Durgude and Prakash lowered their bodies to the living room floor but started talking among themselves.

After one of the police officers told them to stop, Prakash suddenly lunged at him, causing both to fall to the ground. He then hit the officer “on his facial region and upper body”.

A second officer drew his service revolver and ordered Prakash to stop the assault.

In response, Prakash rushed toward the second policeman, grabbed his gun with both hands and began to “tussle”. According to previous police statements, Prakash eventually took a shot in the abdomen.

Punched and kicked a downed officer

However, as the first officer tried to get up and assist the second, Durgude “leapt up and began repeatedly punching and kicking” the downed officer. He also shouted, “N* b*h ch** b**! You think you big f*ck?”

The police officer experienced “bodily pain” from the assault, and by the time backup officers arrived and the fight ended, he was reported to be “on the floor with a bloodied face”.

Durgude was subsequently arrested along with the other individuals in the unit.

The assaulted police officer was treated at Singapore General Hospital on the same day, where he was diagnosed with a laceration on the forehead and abrasions on his right elbow and right forearm.

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Top photo via Shin Min Daily News