The court ordered the man to pay $3,700 for the fraud. (Representative pic)
A man in Singapore has been fined $3,700 (approximately Rs 3 lakh) for posing as the bodyguard of a Malaysian princess to accompany his daughter to a K-pop concert. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the incident unfolded during South Korean boy band ENHYPEN’s “Fate” world tour, which took place in Singapore in January, with tickets priced from $110 to $260. The 49-year-old man was fined after he concocted a plan to accompany his 17-year-old daughter on the first day of the concert.
The 49-year-old man said he wanted to accompany his daughter, who wanted to see the K-pop band perform on both dates. But he could only afford to buy his daughter a ticket, while her friend bought their own. So, on the first day of the concert, the man came up with a plan to accompany his daughter. He contacted the concert organisers, claiming he was the bodyguard of a princess from Selangor, Malaysia, who would be attending both events, the outlet reported.
The 49-year-old explained that he had not bought a ticket but requested entry to ensure the princess’ safety during the concert. The organisers fell for his story and even allowed him early access. They assigned staff to welcome him and provided special wristbands. The man, on the other hand, briefed his daughter about his scheme, following which the duo arrived early at the venue along with a friend.
To make his story more credible, the man dressed as a bodyguard and confidently led his daughter and her friend inside without waiting in line, SCMP reported. During the first day of the concert, he stood at the entrance watching his daughter from a distance and afterwards, they returned home, acting as though nothing had happened.
However, suspicions about the man’s identity arose later. The project manager doubted his identity and alerted the security and stadium management, who later confirmed that the daughter’s identity was fake. The cops were informed and on the next day, when the father-daughter duo returned to repeat their scam on the second day of the concert, they were handed over to the authorities.
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In court, the 49-year-old pleaded guilty, citing concerns for his daughter’s safety at the crowded events as his reason for attending. He reportedly expressed regret and highlighted the financial pressure for her university tuition. He appealed for leniency as he is the family’s only breadwinner.
The judge, however, dismissed his pleas, saying, “If he was truly concerned for his daughter’s safety, he could have purchased another ticket to accompany her instead of concocting this deceitful plan and tarnishing the reputation of the Selangor royal family.”
The court ordered the man to pay $3,700 for the fraud and allowed him to pay the fine in instalments.
