National cricket players face more charges of housebreaking

SINGAPORE: Two national cricket players who were charged with housebreaking last week now face two additional charges each.

Sisters Rajeswari, 24, and Vigineswari Pasupathy, 22, were charged last week with breaking into a flat at Hougang Street 51 on May 17.

The pair allegedly stole items including gold bars and camera lenses worth more than S$20,300.

Two more charges were slapped on the sisters on Friday.

They are accused of breaking into two flats at Serangoon Avenue 1 in December 2009 and September 2010, where they stole cash and jewellery worth more than S$48,000.

School cricket coach Jeraj Puvaneshan, who was earlier charged with committing housebreaking with the sisters on May 17, had his charge amended.

The 26—year—old is now accused of instigating last month’s break—in.

He also faces a second charge of disposing S$10,200 worth of gold jewellery in December 2009 at a jewellery shop in Eu Tong Sen Street.

For this, Jeraj could be jailed up to five years and fined.

If convicted of the break—ins, the sisters, who are listed as members of the women’s national squad on the Singapore Cricket Association website, face a maximum jail term of 10 years and are liable to fines.

The same penalty applies to Jeraj if he is convicted of instigating the theft.

The trio are out on bail of S$20,000.

— CNA/cc