Mock bomb causes real panic; guard pleads guilty

A security officer’s forgetfulness caused a bomb scare that resulted in multiple Home Team officers being deployed to his workplace after an object resembling an improvised explosive device (IED) was found there.

More than a hundred people were also either evacuated or prevented from entering Sing Industrial Complex in Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 for around 90 minutes on Jan 5 while officers conducted their investigation.

The object turned out to be a dud that had been placed there as part of an intended security exercise at the complex.

The security officer, Durendran Vicknesh Venkatraman, had been told by a consultant to dispose of the fake bomb, but had forgotten after abandoning his guardhouse duties the night before.

On Dec 12, the 46-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty to one count each of making false entries in a duty record book and being absent from his workplace.

At the time of his offences, he was a licensed security officer who worked part-time for One Imperial Security.

In late December 2023, the company’s director asked freelance external security consultants Linette Soon and Kelvin Koh to conduct a covert security assessment on the security officer on duty at Sing Industrial Complex.

This was arranged for the early morning of Jan 5, 2024.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Dan Pan said: “Linette and Kelvin’s plan was for Linette to distract the security officer at the guardhouse. Kelvin would enter the premises and leave a suspicious parcel in a prominent area in the complex without the security officer’s knowledge.

“They would thereafter secretly take photographs and videos of the security officer handling the situation, to assess him.”

Durendran had started his 12-hour shift at the complex at around 8pm on Jan 4 and was the sole security officer guarding it that evening.

But at around 11.20pm, he left his workplace without informing anyone, to meet his friends at Oxley Tower in Robinson Road, more than 7km away.

Ms Soon and Mr Koh later arrived at the guardhouse at around 4.30am on Jan 5 and realised that it was empty. The main gate to the complex was also open, the court heard.

The pair waited for several minutes and when Durendran did not return, Mr Koh called his mobile phone to find out where he was.

Durendran, who was still around Oxley Tower at the time, then lied that he was buying food near the complex and that he would return in several minutes. He headed back to his workplace soon after.

While waiting for his return, Mr Koh placed the fake IED in a motorcycle parking lot beside the guardhouse.

The DPP said that the fake bomb was made up of a brown paper bag containing red tubes held together with black tape and had wires protruding out.

Mr Koh and Ms Soon left the complex when Durendran did not return by around 5am. They told One Imperial’s director that the exercise was cancelled, as the night shift security officer was absent from the guardhouse.

However, they forgot to remove the fake bomb from the complex and did not inform the director about it.

When Durendran reached his workplace shortly after 5am, he called Mr Koh, who realised that he and Ms Soon had forgotten to remove the fake bomb and told Durendran about it.

The DPP said: “Kelvin repeatedly instructed the accused to dispose of the paper bag. The accused acknowledged the request and said that he would (do so).

“However, the accused did not dispose of the paper bag despite walking past it several times after 7am, during the rest of his shift, as he forgot about Kelvin’s request.”

Durendran also made a false entry in a guard duty record book, stating that he was at his workplace for the entire duration of his shift.

At 8am, he handed over the shift to fellow security officer Shiva Kumar Sayugan, 54, but did not tell the older man about Mr Koh’s instructions.

An unsuspecting Mr Shiva later spotted the dummy IED at the motorcycle parking lot and alerted the police.

Officers from multiple units including the Criminal Investigation Department, the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Ang Mo Kio Police Division were later deployed to the scene.

Traffic Police officers were also sent to divert traffic outside Sing Industrial Complex.

The prop was later confirmed to be a dud, and Durendran was arrested on April 8.

He is expected to be sentenced on Dec 17.