A 26-year-old Indian national received a seven-month jail sentence after he broke into his neighbor’s apartment and tried to molest her while she slept.
The incident occurred when Erakkodan Abinraj climbed through the kitchen balcony of his neighbor’s apartment around 4:50 AM on September 22, 2024. He used his phone’s flashlight to move around the home.
Abinraj entered the master bedroom where the 36-year-old victim was sleeping with her husband. When he attempted to pull down the victim’s underwear, she woke up and screamed. Her husband also woke up and confronted Abinraj, who urinated on himself out of fear.
The victim’s husband made Abinraj sit in the living room while they called the police. Abinraj repeatedly asked the couple not to report the incident but remained at the scene until police arrived.
On March 5, 2025, Abinraj pleaded guilty to attempted molestation. A housebreaking charge was taken into consideration for sentencing. The court ordered that no information revealing the victim’s identity be published.
During investigation, Abinraj admitted to trespassing but falsely claimed the victim woke up because his phone fell on her. He denied trying to molest her.
Prosecutors requested a jail term of six to eight months, noting that a home should be a safe private space, and that Abinraj had broken in at night and lied to police.
Abinraj’s defense lawyer asked for leniency, stating that he had been working in Singapore for 18 months and was affected by his grandmother’s suicide at the time of the incident.
