Thevendran Elan Goven, 31, was handed the sentence on Feb 5, after he earlier pleaded guilty to one count of cheating. Two other similar charges were taken into consideration. - Photo: Shin Min file
SINGAPORE: A man has been sentenced to 23 months’ jail for cheating a woman he met on online marketplace Carousell of over S$268,000 within the span of seven months.
Thevendran Elan Goven, 31, was handed the sentence on Thursday (Feb 5), after he earlier pleaded guilty to one count of cheating. Two other similar charges were taken into consideration.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Suriya Prakash told the court previously that Thevendran did not stop cheating the victim even after all her money was gone.
The court heard that the victim was 25 years old at the time of the offences.
On or before July 24, 2021, Thevendran posted a listing on Carousell for a PlayStation 4 (PS4) and the victim responded.
He told her the game console would be delivered within seven days if she paid a deposit of $150, and said she had to pay a balance of another $150 after it was delivered.
The woman transferred $150 to Thevendran on July 24, 2021. The pair continued messaging on Carousell about unrelated matters before continuing their conversation on WhatsApp.
Three days later, he asked her to pay the remaining $150 for the console, which he had not delivered, and an additional $49 for some PS4 games.
The victim complied and transferred $199, but did not receive the items.
Thevendran continued to message the victim on WhatsApp and began calling her. The victim believed that she had fostered a friendship with him.
Between August and December 2021, he cheated her of more than $246,000 in total over 48 occasions.
He lied to her that he needed to borrow money for various reasons, including to fund his “court case”, for his dental bill, to pay his supplier, and even because his dog was sick.
In reality, he used these ill-gotten gains to fund personal expenses and settle gambling debts.
By August that year, he came to know that she had received a sum of money from insurance and Central Provident Fund payouts following her mother’s death.
Even when the victim told him she had given him all her money, Thevendran continued deceiving her to deliver funds to him.
Between Dec 23, 2021 and Feb 9, 2022, the victim gave Thevendran $26,000 from a bank account belonging to her father without his knowledge.
The DPP said Thevendran cheated the woman of $268,520 over 59 occasions in total.
The victim was left without any money to pay for her expenses, and had to work part-time jobs throughout university to cover her living expenses, said the DPP.
Between November 2021 and February 2022, Thevendran returned to her $5,000 in total.
His offences finally came to light when the victim’s father alerted the police about missing money in his bank account.
The DPP said that Thevendran made a restitution of $24,000 to the woman in July 2024 and $80,000 in June 2025.
In mitigation, lawyer Anil Singh said his client appreciates the gravity of what he had done, and the harm caused to the victim and her father.
Noting that it has been about four years since his client stopped offending, Anil said: “He has gone through counselling sessions, he has stayed on the straight and narrow, he is to some extent rehabilitated.”
Before handing down the sentence, District Judge Janet Wang noted the psychological harm and financial loss suffered by the victim.
She added that the court is equally mindful that Thevendran has taken steps to address his gambling addiction. - The Straits Times/ANN
