Indian Man Jailed in Singapore for Impersonating to Get Medical Treatment

A 42-year-old Indian-origin man named Logeswaran Mohandas was sentenced to six weeks in jail in Singapore on Monday for impersonating multiple times to get medical treatment in hospitals and polyclinics.

Logeswaran pleaded guilty to six charges, including five for cheating by impersonation, reported The Straits Times.

Logeswaran impersonated as his brother and an acquaintance, who were charged for his medical bills 17 times.

Logeswaran was getting treatment for back pain. He impersonated his brother on nine occasions at the National University Hospital (NUH) between May 1, 2018, and September 16, 2019, and incurred bills totalling SG$ 945.35, including an SG$ 430 bill for an MRI scan.

After receiving bills from NUH, his brother made a police report on February 10, 2020.

In another case of impersonation, Logeswaran impersonated an acquaintance consulted Alexandra Hospital and Changi General Hospital, as well as the polyclinics in Bedok, Bukit Merah, Geylang, Queenstown and Outram, on eight occasions between April 29, 2016, and March 6, 2018. The acquaintance received outstanding medical bills amounting to SG$ 4,621.74, following which he complained before the police.

According to reports, Mohandas has repaid his brother and, his acquaintance did not wish for any refund.

According to the defence lawyer Danny Nah his client suffered a slipped disc following a holiday in India, and his offences involving the hospitals was to seek relief for the pain and not monetary gains.

The court felt, the accused was liable for a jail term even though the amount in each charge involving cheating the hospitals was small. For each charge of cheating by impersonation, he could have been jailed for up to five years and fined.