Indian jailed for faking race attack

MELBOURNE: An Indian national was let off lightly after a Melbourne court found that he had faked a racial attack in a botched bid to claim insurance, reported news agency Press Trust of India.

Jaspreet Singh, 28, had claimed that he was racially attacked in Melbourne after he reportedly burnt himself while torching his car to make an insurance claim. During a court hearing, it was found that Jaspreet Singh, who had said that he was doused with petrol and set alight by four men after he parked his car near his home early January, was planning to claim insurance money to fund a holiday to India.

Singh was let off with a suspended eight-month jail term. Singh had pleaded guilty to criminal damage with intent to gain through arson, attempting to obtain property by deception and making a false report to police.