Man charged over unauthorised SUTD football field bookings, causing more than $130k in revenue loss

SINGAPORE – A man who allegedly made 181 unauthorised bookings of a football field belonging to the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) was handed three cheating charges on Sept 23.

Sashi M Kirubakaran, 41, who was a deputy manager at SUTD at the time of the alleged offences, had claimed that the bookings were for university-linked events.

By doing so, he purportedly induced Exer-Fit Consultancy Services, which provides fitness solutions, to waive the booking fees. This resulted in a revenue loss of over $130,000 for SUTD, the police said on Sept 22.

Court documents did not specify the connection between the university and Exer-Fit .

However, a recent listing by Exer-Fit on the JobStreet portal indicates that it supports daily operations at SUTD’s Sports Recreation Complex and Fitness Centre.

Sashi allegedly cheated Exer-Fit between April 14 and Dec 30, 2023, by making 37 bookings of the football field. This purportedly led to a loss of over $23,000.

He is also accused of lying to the consultancy, claiming that the bookings were for events linked to SUTD.

He allegedly committed similar offences between Jan 1, 2024 and May 4, 2025.

They were said to involve another 144 bookings and more than $109,000 in damage for the university.

Court documents and the police statement did not state why he allegedly made the bookings and who they were for.

The Straits Times has reached out to SUTD for comment on Sashi’s current employment status and the university’s connections to Exer-fit.

His case will be mentioned again in court in October.

For each count of cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined or both.

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