Man molested woman after asking her to undress and give body measurements for 'clothing ad'

A 21-year-old man was arrested on Sep 7 for allegedly molesting a woman on the pretext of taking her body measurements for a clothing advertisement.

The police said that they received a report on Sep 6 from an 18-year-old woman about the incident.

Posing as a woman online, the man had contacted the victim via Instagram. He offered her free clothes and money in return for her advertising the clothes on her social media account.

When the victim accepted his offer, the man requested to meet up in person to obtain her body measurements before the clothes were sent to her.

However, prior to the meet-up, the man claimed that 'she' was unable to make it and said 'her' brother would be there to obtain the victim’s body measurements instead.

Upon meeting each other, the victim followed the man to a residential unit.

"The man asked the victim to undress herself on the pretext of taking her body measurements, and molested her thereafter," said police in a statement on Wednesday (Sep 18).

The man neither provided clothes nor paid the victim as initially offered.

The suspect, who was arrested the following day, is believed to be involved in other cases of outrage of modesty. He is currently assisting with police investigations.

If convicted for outrage of modesty, he faces a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine and/or caning.

The police also advised members of the public to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

  • Be wary of strangers who befriend you and make offers on social media platforms;

  • Be wary of dubious modelling job offers that require you to send compromising photos of yourself or to undress for body measurements;

  • Never meet online acquaintances alone in private. If there is a need to meet, have someone accompany you; and

  • If you are molested, report it to the police immediately when it is safe to do so.