Fugitive handed jail sentence over investment scams that saw victims lose more than $1m

Published Sep 15, 2026, 07:35 PM

Updated Sep 15, 2026, 07:35 PM

Selliaya Suresh was sentenced to six years and eight months’ jail after he cheated multiple investors, causing over $1 million in losses.

He had earlier absconded in 2022 after his initial trial was adjourned to another day.

Selliaya was later arrested in Malaysia in 2023, and he decided to plead guilty to his offences after he was sent back to Singapore.

SINGAPORE – A fugitive who left Singapore in 2022 while facing cheating charges over villa investment scams was on Sept 15 sentenced to six years and eight months’ jail.

Selliaya Suresh pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including 22 counts of cheating. Another 140 charges were considered during his sentencing.

The court heard that the 56-year-old, who was arrested in Malaysia in 2023, was responsible for causing multiple victims to lose over $1 million.

In one ruse he first perpetrated in 2013, Selliaya convinced over 13 investors, including a teacher and an auditor, to hand over more than $1.9 million for shares in properties known as the “Kenisha Ayurvedic Resort and Villas”.

He had run a company called Ritabella Investment, which was later known as RBI Holding (RBIH).

From June 2013 to some time after July 2014, the company advertised on various platforms that it was selling shares in the properties.

Selliaya and members of RBIH’s sales team also attended various investment expos in Singapore to attract investors.

Each villa was divided into 10 shares. Initially, each share cost $4,800, but it was later increased to $6,000.

The holder of each share was “guaranteed” an annual return of 8 to 10 per cent for five years, depending on the investment sums.

Investors were told they could sell their shares back to RBIH after a two-year lock-in period or hold them until the five-year maturity date.

Selliaya later claimed the villas were in the midst of being constructed, with the opening slated for the third quarter of 2014.

He told investors they would receive returns from the rental income generated from the villas.

The agreement investors signed stated that RBIH was the “absolute owner” of Kenisha Ayurvedic Resort and Villas.

In reality, no villas were built at the time.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Matthew Choo said: “(While) the investors received one or two payments of the returns promised...some of the investors managed to obtain refunds of their investments from RBIH after significant inconvenience.”

The court heard that around $982,000 of the more than $1.9m collected was returned to investors. This led to a loss of over $920,000.

The offender also ran a second ruse, in which investors were told they could profit from the shares they held because a third party was purportedly interested in buying the villas and the land they sit on.

Around mid-2015, Selliaya and his brother set up White House Federal Trust and Assurance.

Investors were contacted by the trust and offered help in selling their shares.

According to court documents, investors were told they had to first pay a “capital gain tax” of 20 per cent on the sale price to claim the profits.

In total, nine investors paid nearly $191,000.

In truth, there was no offer from a third party.

Selliaya was charged in 2019, but absconded in 2022 when his initial trial was adjourned.

None of the victims of the second ruse got their money back.

Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times’ court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.

发布于 2026 年 9 月 15 日晚上 7:35

更新于2026年9月15日晚上7:35

Selliaya Suresh 因欺骗多名投资者，造成超过 100 万美元的损失，被判处 6 年零 8 个月监禁。

2022年，他的第一次审判被延期至另一天后，他曾潜逃。

塞利亚亚后来于 2023 年在马来西亚被捕，被遣返回新加坡后，他决定认罪。

新加坡——一名逃犯在2022年因别墅投资诈骗案面临欺诈指控时逃离新加坡，于9月15日被判处六年零八个月监禁。

塞利亚·苏雷什对包括22项欺诈罪在内的24项指控认罪。在量刑时，法庭还考虑了另外140项指控。

法庭获悉，这名 56 岁的男子于 2023 年在马来西亚被捕，他造成多名受害者损失超过 100 万美元。

塞利亚亚在 2013 年首次实施的骗局中，说服了 13 名投资者（包括一名教师和一名审计师）支付超过 190 万美元，购买名为“肯尼莎阿育吠陀度假村和别墅”的房产股份。

他曾经营一家名为 Ritabella Investment 的公司，该公司后来更名为 RBI Holding (RBIH)。

从 2013 年 6 月到 2014 年 7 月之后的一段时间，该公司在各种平台上发布广告，称其正在出售这些房产的股份。

Selliaya 和 RBIH 销售团队的成员也参加了在新加坡举办的各种投资博览会，以吸引投资者。

每栋别墅被分成10份。最初，每份售价4800美元，但后来增加到6000美元。

根据投资金额的不同，每位股东在五年内“保证”获得 8% 至 10% 的年回报率。

投资者被告知，他们可以在两年的锁定期后将股票卖回给 RBIH，或者持有股票直到五年到期日。

Selliaya 后来声称这些别墅正在建设中，预计将于 2014 年第三季度开放。

他告诉投资者，他们将从别墅产生的租金收入中获得回报。

投资者签署的协议规定，RBIH 是 Kenisha Ayurvedic Resort and Villas 的“绝对所有者”。

事实上，当时并没有建造任何别墅。

副检察官马修·朱表示：“（虽然）投资者收到了一两笔承诺的回报款项……但一些投资者在经历了诸多不便后，最终还是从RBIH获得了投资退款。”

法庭获悉，在筹集的190多万美元中，约有98.2万美元返还给了投资者。这导致了超过92万美元的损失。

该罪犯还实施了第二个骗局，他告诉投资者，由于第三方据称有意购买这些别墅及其所在的土地，他们可以从所持有的股票中获利。

2015 年年中，塞利亚亚和他的兄弟成立了白宫联邦信托与保障公司。

信托基金联系了投资者，并表示愿意帮助他们出售股票。

根据法庭文件，投资者被告知，他们必须先缴纳售价20%的“资本利得税”才能申领利润。

总共有九位投资者支付了近 191,000 美元。

事实上，并没有第三方提出收购要约。

Selliaya 于 2019 年被起诉，但在 2022 年第一次审判延期时潜逃。

第二次骗局的受害者无一人拿回了钱。

沙菲克·阿尔哈提卜是《海峡时报》的法庭记者，主要报道国家法院审理的刑事案件。