After failing to agree on the massage services he wanted, an MRT station supervisor called the police to report a masseuse for prostitution. He then spotted another masseuse leaving through a back door, chased after her and grabbed her to film her. A scuffle broke out, during which he injured her with a mobile phone.
The accused, Syed Akbar Rafsanjani, 34, was an MRT station supervisor at the time of the incident. He faced three charges, including voluntarily causing hurt, theft and mischief. On Thursday (29 October), he pleaded guilty to two of the charges and was sentenced to three months in jail.
Investigations revealed that on the afternoon of 6 March this year, Syed first visited Fu Zhe Tang, a beauty salon at Block 8 Toa Payoh Lorong 7, intending to get cupping therapy or a massage.
Vietnamese masseuse Le Thi Dao Mai, 37, attended to him, but they could not agree on the specific services to be provided. Unhappy, Syed left and called the police to report that the massage parlour offered sexual services. He then made enquiries at TJS Health, a neighbouring massage parlour. When a Vietnamese female employee there, Vu Thi Thu Dung, did not respond to him, he went outside to wait for the police.
At 3.38pm, while waiting for the police to arrive, the accused spotted a woman leaving through a back door. He chased after her, managed to grab Vu Thi Thu Dung and tried to film her.
Vu was upset, and a physical altercation broke out. During the struggle, Syed kicked her hard in the face, then snatched her mobile phone and struck her forehead forcefully with it, leaving a bleeding cut near her eyebrow.
The police arrived shortly afterwards and called an ambulance to take Vu to hospital for treatment.
