An Indian-origin Singaporean woman was sentenced to two weeks in jail on Thursday (Feb 19, 2026) for voluntarily injuring a taxi driver by slapping her over a fare at a police station.
Shalini Devarajan, 36, refused to pay her taxi fare of SGD 24 ($19) because she didn’t have cash and rejected payment options suggested by the driver.
After the woman challenged him to take her to the police station, the 73-year-old taxi driver complied – where she slapped him. Channel News Asia Report.
The court heard that on November 11, 2025, at 3 pm, the victim flagged the taxi and was being driven by another person.
Ms Devarajan got into the cab alone and instructed the victim to take her to an apartment block in Yishun Housing Estate.
The victim noticed that Ms. Devarajan was under the influence of alcohol. He took the sleeping woman to her destination.
When they reached the block shelter, the driver woke her up and told her the price was SGD 24.
Ms. Devarajan said she had no cash or non-cash payment options. She called someone before saying she had to go to her unit to get the money.
The driver asked her to leave her phone before going up, but she refused. The driver also suggested to follow her to the unit, but she refused.
At 4:20 pm, Ms. Devarajan hit the driver once on his left cheek causing pain.
The victim went to the hospital for treatment and was given medical leave for a day.
The taxi fare was not paid and Ms Devarajan was arrested on the same day.
The prosecution sought compensation of around SGD 172 for the victim’s medical bills, but Ms Devarajan claimed she had no funds or money.
Ms Devarajan in her relief stated that she did not know that she had a SGD 50 note in her pocket when she was told the charge.
Published – February 19, 2026 04:38 pm IST
