Indian National Shopkeeper Jailed 14 Years For Assaulting 11-Year-Old In Singapore

The Singapore High Court has sentenced 58-year-old Indian national Ramalingam Selvasekaran to 14 years, three months, and two weeks in prison for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl at his provision shop in Jurong West. The incident, which occurred on 28 October 2021, has sparked widespread concern and underscored Singapore’s resolute stance against crimes targeting minors.

The court established that on the afternoon of 28 October 2021, the young girl visited Selvasekaran’s shop and was given a free drink. She returned later that day, between approximately 4:50 pm and 5:05 pm, to purchase ice cream.

Prosecutors stated that Selvasekaran lured her to a back area of the shop, where he forced her to perform oral sex and committed two additional acts of molestation. Distraught, the girl fled and sought assistance from a passerby, who promptly contacted the police.

Selvasekaran was convicted on 7 July 2025 of one count of rape and two counts of outrage of modesty following a trial that began on 16 January 2025. Representing himself, he denied the charges, claiming that his erectile dysfunction rendered the assault impossible and noting the absence of his DNA on the victim.

He further argued that the girl’s testimony was unreliable, questioning why she sought help from a stranger rather than someone familiar and highlighting the lack of police camera footage of her returning home.

Justice Aidan Xu rejected these defenses, emphasizing the “credible and consistent” testimony of the victim. The judge noted that her youth and immaturity sufficiently explained her lack of resistance, failure to flee after the initial molestation, or immediate disclosure to her grandfather, who was nearby. Justice Xu also referenced Selvasekaran’s earlier police statements, in which he admitted to hugging, kissing, and receiving oral sex from the girl.

The judge described his subsequent denials as an attempt to retract these admissions. A prosecution expert witness further clarified that oral rape was possible despite Selvasekaran’s medical condition, and the absence of DNA evidence was deemed neutral, not undermining the victim’s account. The lack of CCTV footage similarly did not weaken the prosecution’s case.

On 30 July 2025, Selvasekaran received his sentence, which included additional jail time in lieu of 15 strokes of the cane, as he is over 50 and exempt from corporal punishment under Singapore law. Maintaining his innocence, he announced his intent to appeal the conviction and was granted bail of SGD 80,000 pending the appeal. He unsuccessfully requested the removal of an electronic monitoring tag and exemption from regular check-ins at the Police Cantonment Complex. Additionally, Selvasekaran objected to a prosecution proposal to return SGD 8 in cash to the victim, claiming the money was taken from his shop, a matter the court directed the prosecution to review.