A man who reportedly lost over $2,000 whilst gambling on a casino boat cruise has been charged by police in Singapore for sending threatening bomb related emails.
Neo Hui Ghim allegedly took to his keyboard after gambling on the Resorts World Cruises (RWC) ship that was travelling between Singapore and Malaysia.
Man emails bomb threats in wake of casino losses
RWC offers a list of destinations across Southeast Asia as a consumer cruise line, featuring various entertainment options, including silent discos, ziplines, and licensed gambling.
Ghim, first reported by The Straits Times, wrote the email with the subject line, “Bomb at Resorts World Cruises,” after losing out at the gaming table onboard the cruise ship.
In the body of the email, he is also alleged to have written, “please return me back my monies (or) else the ship will explode and everyone dropped into the sea.”
His threatening correspondence then led to the boat, which had docked in the Marina Bay Cruise Centre port, being checked extensively by local police and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.
He followed up his initial message with two further emails, writing “Next time when I cruise again and happen to lose money I’ll ensure the entire cruise ship (will) explode,” and “Your cruise will be burnt down.”
Deputy Public Prosecutors Sruthi Boppana and Kelly Ng commented, saying the manager of the travel line “was not able to give clear information about the accused and whether he (Ghim) was still on the cruise. The phone was then passed to an auxiliary police officer, who was likewise unable to give clear information. Parties to the call sounded panicked.”
Police track down sender of threatening emails
A spokesperson for the Central Police Division (CPD) said, “The police treat all security threats seriously and will not hesitate to take action against anyone who causes public alarm with false threats.”
The report further states that within three hours of his last message, Ghim was tracked down by members of the CPD. His threatening correspondence impacted 4,000 passengers and caused hours of delay amid worries that his note to the RWC was a legitimate threat to life.
“Beyond the fear and inconvenience caused to other members of the public, the making of false threats comes at a cost of public resources that have to be deployed to deal with the incident,” concluded the CPD statement.
Ghim has pleaded guilty to one count of communicating false information about a harmful situation and is set for sentencing on 27 October.
If found guilty, he risks a custodial sentence of up to seven years and a maximum fine of $50,000.
Featured image: StarDream.
