Maid who tied the knot with married Singaporean man in Batam jailed for bigamy
Komariah knew the man's first wife was still alive, but went ahead with the marriage as it would enable her to obtain a housing loan in Batam.
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SINGAPORE: A domestic helper who began dating a married man in Singapore later travelled to Batam, Indonesia with him to get married.
Komariah, a 50-year-old Indonesian woman who goes by one name, did so because the marriage would allow her to obtain a housing loan in Batam.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) discovered the illegal marriage and flagged it to the police, who investigated and arrested the couple.
Komariah was sentenced to two months' jail on Wednesday (May 6), the same jail term meted out last month to her husband, 61-year-old Singaporean Low Kok Peng.
The remanded woman pleaded guilty to one count of abetting bigamy under the Women's Charter.
A second charge of contravening a condition of her work pass by marrying a Singaporean without prior approval was taken into consideration.
THE CASE
The court heard that Low married his first wife, a now-55-year-old Singaporean woman, in 1992. They have a daughter together.
In 2016, Low was introduced to Komariah by an acquaintance and they began a romantic and sexual relationship.
Komariah was working as a maid in Singapore on a work permit.
In 2024, the couple went to Batam and entered into a Muslim marriage, solemnised by a Qazi or religious leader whom Komariah had engaged through her relatives.
They travelled there to get hitched because they knew Low could not enter into a second marriage in Singapore.
The prosecutor said Komariah knew at the time that Low's first wife was still alive, but married Low because it would allow her to get a housing loan.
After getting married, the pair returned to Singapore, where Low continued to live with his first wife. She did not know about the second marriage.
MOM told CNA that it received information on the bigamy in January 2026 and referred the case for investigation.
Komariah's work permit has been cancelled, said the MOM spokesperson.
The illegal marriage has not been annulled.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ryan Lim sought at least two months' jail, saying Komariah was as culpable as Low.
He said the marriage was a "calculated move" she took to serve her own interests, and one she actively facilitated.
In mitigation, Komariah sought a lighter sentence, saying she was the sole breadwinner and had to support her elderly parents.
For abetting bigamy, she could have been jailed for up to 12 months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
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