A Singaporean man got fined thousands of dollars for forging his grandfather’s death certificate so he could get paid leave from his workplace.

Earlier this month, 29-year-old Barath Gopal was fined $4,000 after pleading guilty to forging a relative’s death certificate with the intention to commit fraud. In November 2023, while working as a security financing operation analyst, Gopal learned that his then-girlfriend had cheated on him and he was allegedly so devastated that he couldn’t focus on his job. But instead of applying for one of the several days of annual leave offered by his employer, the Singaporean asked for paid compassionate leave from Nov 8 to Nov 10, claiming that his grandfather in India had died in his sleep. His request was granted, but when his supervisor asked for his grandparent’s death certificate, things got complicated.