AT THE COURTS Ex-security officer who left post and forgot to remove fake bomb fined

His failure to get rid of dummy device meant for an assessment exercise sparked bomb scare

- Shaffiq Alkhatib

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 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), 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 the 46-year-old Singaporean had left the complex for around 5 1/2 hours when he should be working, and had visited his friends at Oxley Tower in Robinson Road, more than 7km away.

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