Indian-origin man in Singapore jailed for forging bank documents

An Indian-origin man in Singapore was sentenced to seven weeks in jail for forging his clients' bank statements so that the insurance policies he was selling to them could take effect.

Vijendren Tanapal, 38, pleaded guilty to two forgery charges involving two Japanese clients while working as a wealth planning manager at a bank here.

Several other similar charges linked to his other Japanese clients were considered during Tanapal's sentencing on Thursday.


Tanapal's bail was set at SGD15,000, and he will begin serving his sentence on July 31, according to a media report.

As part of his job at DBS Bank, Tanapal sold Manulife insurance policies, primarily targeting Japanese clients.

Tanapal committed the offences in 2017 to hit his sales target. He forged his clients' bank statements so that the insurance policies he was selling to them could take effect.

In January 2022, police received information from DBS that Tanapal had submitted multiple sets of forged documents linked to six Japanese clients. He was later charged in court in 2026.

"There is no discernible monetary loss to DBS that may be attributable to the sale of Manulife insurance policies," the prosecutor said.

Tanapal is no longer working at the bank, according to court documents.