Indian man jailed in Singapore for secret second marriage

A 49-year-old Indian national was sentenced to three months and three weeks’ jail time on Thursday after pleading guilty to bigamy and making false declarations in immigration applications, as reported by ChannelsNewsAsia.

The man, Vaithialingam Muthukumar, reportedly married his first wife, a Singaporean woman (55), in India in 2007. He later moved to Singapore in 2011 to join her.

While working in Singapore, he became romantically involved with a colleague, Salmah Bee Abdul Razak, (43). Salmah was aware that he was already married but went on to marry him in a religious ceremony in Nagore, India, in August 2022.

According to reports, the pair went on to marry despite knowing that Muthukumar’s first marriage was still valid and his wife was alive. He had reportedly told Salmah he wanted a child and promised to divorce his first wife later.

The secret marriage reportedly came to light in September 2023, when Salmah gave birth to a son at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Muthukumar’s first wife, who worked in the same hospital, saw him leaving the maternity ward, as no guests were reportedly allowed in the ward and grew suspicious.

Later, investigations also revealed that Muthukumar had also made reportedly false statements in applications for permanent residence and visit passes, declaring he had no other marriages.

A Singapore court has sentenced him to three months and three weeks in jail.