SINGAPORE: An Indian-origin man in Singapore has been sentenced to seven weeks imprisonment for forging his clients’ bank statements to facilitate the sale of insurance policies.
The Chenab Times has learned that Vijendren Tanapal, 38, a former wealth planning manager at DBS Bank, pleaded guilty to two charges of forgery. The forged documents pertained to two Japanese clients, and additional similar charges involving other clients were taken into consideration during his sentencing on Thursday.
Tanapal, who was working as a wealth planning manager, primarily targeted Japanese clients for Manulife insurance policies. Court documents indicate that the offences occurred in 2017, as Tanapal sought to meet his sales targets. To achieve this, he falsified his clients’ bank statements to ensure that the insurance policies could be activated.
The case came to light in January 2022 when DBS Bank reported to the police that Tanapal had submitted multiple sets of forged documents linked to six Japanese clients. He was subsequently charged in court in 2026. According to the prosecution, there was no discernible monetary loss to DBS Bank attributable to the sale of these Manulife insurance policies.
Tanapal is no longer employed by DBS Bank, as confirmed by court records. His bail was set at SGD 15,000, and he is scheduled to begin serving his jail sentence on July 31.
The Chenab Times News Desk