A MAN here has been sentenced to nearly four years behind bars after attempting to frame his estranged wife by placing cannabis in her car, knowing she could get the death penalty.
Tan Xianglong, 37, was sentenced at a district court on Thursday to three years and 10 months in jail, court documents showed.
The couple had been estranged for less than two years, after having sought a divorce but failing to get one immediately because of the short duration of their union, the documents said.
He consulted lawyers and “came away with the idea that a divorce could happen if one of the parties had a criminal record”, the documents said.
He initially hired a private investigator to gather evidence she was committing adultery, but no proof was found.
This prompted Tan to hatch the scheme to frame his estranged wife by planting weed in her car.
Tan bought the drugs on the black market and found they came in at 510g – more than the 500g threshold that merits the death penalty.
Tan’s wife was arrested after police discovered the drugs in her car, but they found no other incriminating evidence against her. Police then turned their investigation to Tan, who was subsequently arrested. — AFP
