Man faked death to cheat

A MAN faked his death so that he and his wife could collect their insurance money and Central Provident Fund contributions.

But the scam backfired for Shamsul Bahri Lamaon, 44.

Instead, he found himself behind bars for 42 months after pleading guilty to the two charges on Wednesday.

It all started when he was posted to Jakarta to work in 2004.

He chalked up a huge debt from his credit cards.

Two years later he quit his job. His Indonesian wife, Madam Rima Triyana, then hatched a scheme to fake his death and file claims with Great Eastern Life Assurance where he had five policies, and the Central Provident Fund Board.

They had planned to use the money to run a business, buy a house and for their children's education.

To avoid detection, Shamsul remained at Mdm Rima's parents village at Surade, Indonesia.

The wife managed to get a fake death certificate and supporting documents claiming he died of a heart attack on April 20, 2006.

The offences came to light after Shamsul decided to give himself up early this year.

He subsequently learnt that his wife had been paid $125,690 by GE.

He was afraid she would get her hands into another insurance payout of $200,249 which his son, a minor then, was the beneficiary.

He contacted his cousin who alerted the GE to stop the payment and to inform them he was alive.

GE reported the matter to the police.

Shamsul was arrested when he flew in from Jakarta on Feb 4.

Mdm Rima, 34, is at large.

He could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined on each charge.