Indian-origin man jailed for bomb hoax in Singapore
Singapore, Jan 22 : An Indian-origin man has been jailed here for a bomb hoax in 2004 at Singapore's first prime minister late Lee Kuan Yew's house after consuming alcohol.
Ganesan Singaravel, 61, pleaded guilty to an offence under the Telecommunications Act, The New Paper reported Tuesday.
Ganesan drank alcohol till early morning on November 13, 2004, at a popular spot in Orchard Tower on Singapore's hotel belt of Orchard Road and then made a call from public telephone booth to the police, making reference to a bomb at Yew's house.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Samynathan Monday told the court, "The call was made by the accused from a public phone located next to the Thai Embassy (also on Orchard Road). The call's message was clearly false, and the accused knew that the text of the call was false.
"A (police) patrol car was sent to Orchard Towers to interview and arrest the accused. He was coherent during his interactions with the officers at the scene. Meanwhile, the officers who were already stationed at Oxley Road (Lee's house) were told to step up patrols and be alert and vigilant."
Ganesan was charged on November 16, 2004, but he fled Singapore about two months later while on bail.
Last year, he was caught overstaying in the US. He told the authorities there that he wanted to return to Singapore. Subsequently, he was detained on his arrival here on July 15.
Defence lawyers -- Ravinderpal Singh and James Ow Yong -- stated in their mitigation plea that their client was drunk when he committed the offence.
The plea also stated, "The accused realises how alcohol has utterly destroyed his life and family, leading to his wife to divorce him, leaving him with nothing and his children to give up on him. The accused's family no longer wants anything to do with him.
"The offence has taken a terrible toll on the accused.
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Flight services between Kolkata, Dubai resume partially
Kolkata (PTI): Flight services between Kolkata and Dubai resumed partially on Thursday, after a four-day suspension due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, officials said.
A flydubai aircraft from Dubai landed at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here at 2:40 am with 130 passengers on board, marking the first arrival from the Middle East after services were halted for over 113 hours, they said.
The Boeing 737 Max aircraft was scheduled to arrive at 12:25 am, Kolkata airport officials said.
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The same aircraft departed for Dubai at 3:59 am with 55 passengers, they said.
The last flight to depart for the Middle East from Kolkata before the suspension was an Emirates aircraft to Dubai on February 28, the officials said.
International services between Kolkata and cities such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi were disrupted, after airlines temporarily suspended operations amid escalating tensions and airspace restrictions in parts of the Middle East, due to the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.
There is no clear indication about when all the Middle East routes will fully reopen, they said.
