Man fined $4000 for faking his grandfather's death to escape work

A Singaporean man, in a rather misguided attempt to dodge work, found himself paying the price in an unexpected way after forging his grandfather’s death certificate to get a few days of paid leave. This tale of desperation and poor decision-making is a real eyebrow-raiser, and one that might leave you thinking twice before attempting to fake a family tragedy for a bit of extra time off.

Earlier this month, 29-year-old Barath Gopal was slapped with a hefty fine of $4,000 after pleading guilty to forging a relative’s death certificate with the intention to commit fraud. The drama began back in November 2023 when Barath, who worked as a security financing operation analyst, was devastated by the news that his girlfriend had cheated on him. The heartbreak was so intense that it apparently left him unable to focus on his work – but instead of taking a few days of annual leave, he came up with a rather questionable plan.

Rather than simply asking for the time off he was entitled to, Barath decided to request compassionate leave from his employer, claiming that his grandfather in India had passed away in his sleep. Naturally, his request was approved, but trouble arose when his supervisor asked for a copy of the death certificate to verify his claim. That’s when the wheels of his deception began to fall off.

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Instead of fessing up, Barath stalled, telling his supervisor that he couldn’t provide the certificate just yet as his father was still in India. Meanwhile, in a move that can only be described as a mix of desperation and questionable ingenuity, Barath reached out to a relative of a friend whose grandfather had died a few months earlier. Claiming he needed the death certificate for his “own” family emergency, Barath got his hands on the document and then set about forging a new one on his laptop, claiming it was for his now-deceased grandfather. To top it off, he was clever enough to crop out the bottom of the certificate – you know, the bit with the all-important QR code that would have allowed it to be verified. Classic blunder, though, as his supervisor wasn’t easily fooled and asked for a complete copy.

At this point, the walls began to close in. Barath, realising the jig was up, finally sent the full document over, but by then, he had already made the decision to resign from his job in December 2023. He must have known that sooner or later, his lies would catch up with him.

Now, here’s the part where it gets really interesting. In Singapore, forging a death certificate is a serious offence. The penalties for such a crime can range from a fine of up to $10,000, a potential 10-year jail sentence, or both. However, Barath managed to dodge a heavier punishment and was only fined $4,000 for his little stunt. Prosecutors had initially sought a fine between $4,000 and $5,000, noting that his employer had lost $500 in wages for the days he took off under false pretences. One might think that’s a steep price to pay just for trying to get a few days off – but, as it turns out, it was the least of his worries.

This story serves as a cautionary tale that, sometimes, it’s better to just ask for a few days of annual leave rather than risk a criminal charge for trying to get something for nothing. After all, the effort to pull off such a deceitful scheme seems to outweigh the benefits of a few days off – especially when it leads to a fine and the loss of your job. Barath Gopal may have learned the hard way that honesty is not only the best policy, but it’s also far less costly.