Two partners of a licensed private investigation agency — a 32-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man — will be charged in court on Oct 30, 2025 for allegedly conducting an assignment without the required approval, after they were hired to surveil a police officer handling a case involving their client’s family member, as reported by Mothership.
According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the officer realised he was being followed on Jan 10, 2022 and made a report. Subsequent inquiries found that the pair, who run a PIA, had accepted the job and deployed four private investigators to trail the officer at his residence and workplace.
SPF highlighted that the Police Cantonment Complex is a protected place under the law, which means prior approval from the police regulatory department is mandatory for any such surveillance activity there. No approval was obtained in this case.
During investigations, the 32-year-old allegedly deleted WhatsApp messages with the client in an effort to remove evidence, purportedly with the 57-year-old’s consent. SPF noted this is the first known instance of a PIA being engaged to tail a police officer working on an active case.
Charges the duo face (as reported by Mothership):
- Carrying out a security assignment without prior approval under the Private Security Industry Act.
- Maximum penalties: Fine up to S$50,000, up to 2 years’ jail, or both.
- Obstructing the course of justice (for the woman) and abetment (for the man).
- Maximum penalties: Up to 7 years’ jail, a fine, or both.
SPF said it identified the suspects and other involved investigators using police and CCTV footage, with assistance from officers in the Clementi Police Division.
Bottom line: The pair allegedly proceeded with a high-sensitivity surveillance on a police investigator at a protected location without mandatory approval and then tampered with communications tied to the assignment — a first-of-its-kind case flagged by SPF, as reported by Mothership.
