Man jailed 16 months for stabbing rival at Orchard arcade and involvement in fraud case

SINGAPORE: A 23-year-old man was sentenced to 16 months in jail after he stole a knife from a restaurant and stabbed another man at an arcade following a personal dispute.

He was also linked to a separate fraud case involving the misuse of his Singpass credentials.

Wang You (transliteration from Chinese) pleaded guilty on 18 July to three charges — voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, an offence under the Computer Misuse Act, and another under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA). Four additional charges were considered during sentencing, according to Shin Min Daily News.

The incident stemmed from tensions between Wang and the 22-year-old victim, whom he had befriended while playing a racing game at Timezone arcade in Orchard Xchange.

A few weeks later, the victim removed Wang and his friends from the gaming team. Seeking revenge, Wang and at least two others misused the victim’s phone number on ride-hailing and delivery apps such as Grab and Lalamove, causing the victim to receive repeated one-time passwords (OTPs) and distressing messages.

The victim later filed a police report.

On 8 September 2024, Wang and the victim encountered each other again at the same arcade. After an argument, the victim slapped Wang twice. Arcade staff intervened and asked both men to leave, but the victim returned shortly after to continue playing.

Driven by anger, Wang went to a nearby Japanese restaurant and asked a waiter to help charge his phone. While the waiter was distracted, he stole a kitchen knife, hiding it in his underwear before returning to the arcade.

At 6:42pm, Wang attempted to stab the victim in the stomach but missed. He struck again, puncturing the victim’s clothes and inflicting a minor wound on his abdomen. The victim was treated at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and given two days of medical leave. His medical costs totalled S$154.

Arcade staff subdued Wang, who continued to threaten the victim even after being restrained.

Subsequent investigations revealed Wang’s involvement in a fraud case earlier that year. In March 2024, while unemployed, he handed over his Singpass login details to an unknown person who later used his identity to open five bank accounts. These accounts received and transferred amounts exceeding S$480,000 and S$470,000, which police later linked to scam activities.

Wang’s lawyer asked for leniency, citing his poor mental state at the time and noting that he had voluntarily remained in remand to reflect on his actions despite being eligible for bail.

The court sentenced him to 16 months’ imprisonment and ordered him to pay S$954 in compensation.