A woman in Singapore died suddenly just a day after publicly accusing her Indian employee of faking a workplace injury to claim compensation. The incident has sparked widespread discussion in Singapore, with local authorities now treating her death as an “unnatural” one and launching an investigation.
Jane Lee, owner of a food outlet called Sumo Salad, had taken to Facebook just a day before her death to share detailed allegations against an Indian national, Sran Kiranjeet Kaur. Ms Lee accused Kaur of staging an injury towards the end of her employment contract, allegedly to claim compensation through Singapore’s work injury system.
According to reports by Channel News Asia (CNA), Ms Lee claimed that Kaur said she slipped and fell on an escalator while taking out rubbish, an incident Ms Lee believed was deliberately planned. In her post, she wrote, “She was supposed to leave early that day. Instead, she stayed back and staged the incident.”
Lee further alleged that the worker’s husband, also from India, and a legal firm were involved in “coaching” individuals on how to exploit workplace injury claims for monetary benefits.
“She would limp and exaggerate her condition in front of doctors, but I’ve seen her moving and working normally at other times,” Lee wrote, adding that she had video evidence to support her claims. She also alleged that small business owners, especially those without adequate insurance, were being “targeted” by such fraudulent strategies.
In her post, Lee urged Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the police to take action and prevent similar cases in the future. “I fear I won’t be the last,” she wrote.
The Singapore Police Force has since confirmed they are treating Lee’s death as unnatural, though the cause remains unknown at this stage.
The Ministry of Manpower told CNA it is currently working with the company’s insurer to assess the validity of the injury claim. “MOM will not hesitate to act against anyone found abusing the Work Injury Compensation system,” the ministry said in a statement. “Employers with concerns about fraudulent claims are encouraged to approach us.”
Lee was reportedly in her 40s and left behind two children. Her Facebook posts and untimely death have stirred emotional reactions online, with many calling for a thorough investigation and greater scrutiny into work injury compensation processes, the media outlet reported.
