• An Indian-origin man in Singapore was sentenced for bigamy after being exposed at a hospital.
• Vaithialingam Muthukumar was already married when he secretly wed a younger colleague.
• The man received a sentence of three months and three weeks in jail.
• He falsely declared no other marriages in an immigration application.
• The case involved deception towards both wives over a period of time.

Vaithialingam Muthukumar, a 49-year-old Indian national, has been sentenced to three months and three weeks in jail for bigamy after secretly marrying a younger colleague while still legally married to his first wife. The case came to light on September 14, 2023, when Muthukumar's first wife spotted him at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where his second wife had just given birth. The exposure was described as happening by “pure chance” as he was seen near the delivery suite, which was not open for guests, according to Channel News Asia and South China Morning Post.

Muthukumar married his first wife, a Singaporean woman currently aged 55, in India in 2007, and moved to Singapore in 2011 to be with her. After starting a job, he initiated a romantic relationship with Salmah Bee Abdul Razak, a 43-year-old colleague who was aware of his marriage. They conspired to wed in August 2022, a Muslim marriage that remains valid to this day, despite Muthukumar’s assurances to Salmah that he would divorce his first wife, reports India Times and South China Morning Post.

After the couple had a child in September 2023, Muthukumar applied for permanent residency to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), falsely declaring that he had no other marriages and listing his first wife as the local sponsor. This application was rejected in October 2024 after it was revealed he had misrepresented his marital status. Muthukumar also faced another charge regarding a visit pass application that involved similar false declarations, according to Channel News Asia and India Times.

In court, Muthukumar pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiring to commit bigamy and for his false declarations in immigration forms, marking a disturbing example of deceit that lasted over a year until his first wife discovered the truth. The prosecutor emphasized that Muthukumar had deceived both wives, with the period of offending being described as “moderately long" as he continued to maintain relationships with both women, according to South China Morning Post and India Times.