Police investigating condo resident's harassment of security officer
SINGAPORE — The police are investigating a report made against a man for harassing a security officer at Eight Riversuites condominium, days after an online video showed a resident hurling verbal abuse at a security guard there.
“The police are investigating a report which was lodged against a 44-year-old man, Mr Erramalli Ramesh, for an offence of intentionally causing harassment to a security officer who was deployed at Eight Riversuites condominium,” the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a media statement released late on Wednesday (30 October).
The incident took place on Saturday, when a video circulated online showed Ramesh swearing at a security officer, who was later identified as Steven Heng.
In the video, which quickly went viral, Ramesh quarrels with security officers after they told him that his guests, who arrive in a car at Eight Riversuites condominium, had to pay a parking fee.
“I buy the f**king property for $1.5 million, you know ... Tell the management f**k off ... We are not staying in an HDB,” Ramesh shouts at Heng, telling him that his guests are visiting him for Deepavali. The security officers can be heard trying to calm down the resident and telling him that they are enforcing the rules.
The likes of labour MP Zainal Sapari and the Union of Security Employees and the Security Association Singapore have weighed in on the incident, urging for more protection to be given to security officers.
Even Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam also commented on Sunday, calling the resident’s behaviour an example of “a sense of entitlement”.
The incident sparked many comments about foreigners and foreign talent in Singapore. In response to queries by The Straits Times, MHA said that Ramesh is married to a Singaporean who was born here, and obtained citizenship on the sponsorship of his wife under the Family Ties scheme.
Financial services company JP Morgan, Ramesh’s employer, issued a memo to its staff over the incident on Tuesday morning (29 October), which was seen by Yahoo News Singapore.
JP Morgan said in the memo, ”All of us who work for JP Morgan are expected to demonstrate the highest standards, including respect and dignity for others, in our behaviour and actions inside and outside of the workplace.”
In a media statement issued last weekend, the company said, “We are aware of the video and are looking into it. We won’t be making further comment at this time.”
On Wednesday, Ramesh apologised to Heng for verbally abusing him, after a meeting mediated by the Security Association of Singapore and the Association of Certified Security Agencies at the condominium.
Related stories:
Whampoa condo incident: Resident apologises to security officer in person
Tharman: Condo resident’s behaviour is example of ‘sense of entitlement’
