Saturday, March 29, 2025
Indian Man Jailed and Caned in Singapore for Molesting Woman in Shopping Mall Nursing Room
Singapore | Tuesday, September 23, 2025, 05:40 AM IST
A Singapore court has sentenced a 46-year-old Indian national and permanent resident, Ankit Sharma, to four years in prison and six strokes of the cane for molesting a woman in a shopping mall’s nursing room.
According to Channel News Asia, the incident took place on March 1, 2023, at the Changi City Point mall. Sharma was accused of dragging a 31-year-old female tech recruiter into a nursing room and molesting her. The victim had met Sharma for the first time that evening, after a colleague shared his profile with her.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheldon Lim told the court that the meeting began as a professional discussion but quickly turned uncomfortable. While drinking at a bar, Sharma started asking the woman personal questions and pressed her about having sex. The woman excused herself to go to the restroom, but when she returned, Sharma was waiting outside. He allegedly forced her into a nearby nursing room, where—despite her resistance—he repeatedly tried to engage in sexual activity.
Sharma denied all charges, claiming that the woman had consented to sex and even suggested going to the nursing room herself. His defense argued that the woman became upset only after he commented on her bad breath. However, the court dismissed these claims.
The prosecution described the sexual assault as “extremely serious” and an incident that caused “long-lasting personal trauma” for the victim.
For such offenses, Singapore law allows imprisonment of two to ten years along with caning. Sharma’s lawyer had appealed for a lighter sentence of three to three-and-a-half years and fewer strokes of the cane. But the court sided with the prosecution’s request for a minimum of four years in jail and six strokes of the cane, which it handed down on Monday.
