Ex-security guard fined for abandoning post, failing to remove fake bomb

SINGAPORE — A former security officer was fined $1,800 on Dec 17 after he abandoned his guardhouse duties and forgot to get rid of a fake bomb that was supposed to be used in an exercise at his then workplace.

Durendran Vicknesh Venkatraman's forgetfulness had sparked a bomb scare that resulted in multiple Home Team officers being deployed to Sing Industrial Complex in Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 on Jan 5.

While the officers were conducting their investigation into the case involving an object resembling an improvised explosive device (IED) that turned out to be a dud, more than a hundred people were either evacuated or prevented from entering the premises for around 90 minutes.

Before handing down the sentence on Dec 17, District Judge Ow Yong Tuck Leong said that the 46-year-old Singaporean had left the complex for around 5.5 hours when he should be working, and had visited his friends at Oxley Tower in Robinson Road, more than 7km away.

However, the judge also noted that court documents did not state that Durendran had displayed prior unprofessional behaviour.

On Dec 12, the former security officer pleaded guilty to one count each of making false entries in a duty record book and being absent from his workplace.

At the time of his offences, he was a licensed security officer who worked part-time for One Imperial Security.

In late December 2023, the company's director asked freelance external security consultants Linette Soon and Kelvin Koh to conduct a covert security assessment on the security officer on duty at Sing Industrial Complex.

This was arranged for the early morning of Jan 5, 2024.

In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Dan Pan said: "Linette and Kelvin's plan was for Linette to distract the security officer at the guardhouse. Kelvin would enter the premises and leave a suspicious parcel in a prominent area in the complex without the security officer's knowledge.

"They would thereafter secretly take photographs and videos of the security officer handling the situation, to assess him."

Durendran had started his 12-hour shift at the complex at around 8pm on Jan 4 and was the sole security officer guarding it that evening.

But at around 11.20pm, he left his workplace without informing anyone and met his friends at Oxley Tower.

Soon and Koh arrived at the guardhouse at around 4.30am on Jan 5 and realised that it was empty. Koh then called Durendran's mobile phone to find out where he was.

Durendran lied that he was buying food near the complex and headed back to his workplace.

While waiting for his return, Koh placed the fake IED in a motorcycle parking space beside the guardhouse.

The two freelance external security consultants later left the complex and told One Imperial's director that the exercise was cancelled.

However, they forgot to remove the fake bomb from the complex. When Durendran reached his workplace shortly after 5am, he called Koh, who asked him to get rid of the fake bomb.

Durendran also made a false entry in a guard duty record book, stating that he was at his workplace for the entire duration of his shift.

At 8am, he handed over the shift to fellow security officer Shiva Kumar Sayugan, 54, but did not tell the older man about Koh's instructions.

Shiva later spotted the dummy IED and alerted the police.

On Dec 17, the prosecutor urged Judge Ow Yong to sentence Durendran to at least three weeks' jail and a fine, stressing that a deterrent sentence was needed to deter other security officers from committing similar offences.

The DPP also said that the case files against Soon and Koh are still open, and it is still under review on what action may be taken against them.

Defence lawyer A. Rajandran pleaded for his client to be given either a conditional discharge or a fine.

The court heard that Durendran has a low IQ and has renal issues.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.