A 31-year-old Indian-origin man named Thevendran has been sentenced to two years in prison in Singapore. He cheated a 25-year-old woman out of around S$268,520 (about Rs 1.6 crore) over seven months. Thevendran tricked the woman into believing they had a genuine friendship. He repeatedly asked her for money, saying he needed it for court cases, bail, dental bills, and other expenses. In truth, he used the money to fund his gambling habit, reported Mothership. The scam started on July 24, 2021, when Thevendran posted a listing to sell a PlayStation 4 on Carousell, a popular e-commerce platform. The woman paid a S$150 deposit for delivery within seven days and later sent another S$49 for games. She thought she was buying the PS4, but it was never delivered. After that, Thevendran kept messaging her on Carousell and WhatsApp. From August 17, 2021, to January 9, 2022, he convinced her to transfer money 57 times, sometimes asking for as much as S$10,000 at once. He knew by August 18, 2021, that the money came from the woman’s insurance and CPF payouts after her mother passed away. By December 2021, he was aware she had no money left but still asked for more. He returned only S$5,000 on three occasions. The fraud was uncovered when the woman transferred S$26,000 from her father’s account without his knowledge, raising alarm and leading to a police probe. In total, Thevendran cheated her of approximately S$268,520. During sentencing, deputy public prosecutor Suriya Prakash said, "He continued his actions despite knowing the victim had no money left." The court heard Thevendran had realised the seriousness of his actions, received counseling, and had no offenses in the past four years. District Judge Janet Wang highlighted the victim’s psychological and financial suffering but noted Thevendran had voluntarily repaid around 40% of the money. Thevendran pleaded guilty to one count of cheating in an earlier hearing.