A 26-year-old Malaysian man has been sentenced to five months in jail after pleading guilty to stealing SGD17,300 (~RM54,414) from the safe of a Singapore durian stall where he worked as an assistant.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the man has been identified as the younger brother of Malaysian singer-songwriter Dior Lying.
Defendant had borne a pattern of borrowing money
The theft took place between 20 and 22 February 2026 at a durian stall in Bukit Batok, Singapore, where the defendant, Tan An Sheng, was employed. Investigations by the Chinese daily also revealed that Tan had reportedly been borrowing money from various people in the area prior to his arrest.
Many surrounding vendors and assistants had lent him money. Jamie, a 37-year-old fish soup vendor, shared in an interview that the defendant claimed he had received a traffic ticket and urgently needed financial help. Observing that he appeared honest, she lent him the money without keeping his contact information.
“After not seeing him for a few days, I went to the durian stall to ask for the money back, only to find out that he had been borrowing money from everyone,” she said.
“I realised I wouldn’t be getting the money back, and I will never lend money to others blindly again.”
The owner of the durian stall also noted that multiple debt collectors had shown up at the premises looking for Tan.
Family previously spoke publicly about his struggles
This is not the first time the family has opened up about Tan’s issues. Two years ago, Dior shared an emotional social media post revealing that her brother had developed a severe gambling addiction during his teenage years.
Dior alleged that her brother had been involved in theft, fraud, and borrowing from loan sharks. She claimed he had even pawned family valuables, including jewellery belonging to their father and sister, as well as a keepsake left behind by their late mother.
According to her earlier statement, Tan had also deceived relatives, friends, and several of her fans by fabricating stories about family emergencies and medical expenses to secure loans.
“If he asks to borrow money, please do not trust whatever excuses he comes up with. He is beyond saving,” Dior wrote in the post.
Diorlying
Feeling that the situation had escalated and that more people were at risk of being deceived, Dior explained that she decided to publicly address the issue despite the profound personal pain it caused her family.
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