Malaysian singer Diorlying’s brother jailed in Singapore for stealing $13,400 from durian stall

Tan An Sheng, 26, was working as an assistant at Top Durian Station in Bukit Batok when he committed the theft between Feb. 20 and 22.

Tan was temporarily left in charge of the stall while his supervisor was on leave, according to Shin Min Daily News. He was given the safe’s passcode for the first time and entrusted with counting the daily takings and securing the cash.

He used that access to steal money from the safe twice, first taking S$775 and later S$12,625.

Tan then went to the Marina Bay Sands casino, hoping to win enough money to repay debts owed to moneylenders, but lost the entire amount.

He confessed to his employer on Feb. 23. The company initially decided not to contact the police and allowed him to repay the stolen money through deductions from his salary.

However, after returning S$1,700, Tan began gambling again and borrowed money from customers and neighboring stall operators. Local media reported that around 50 people later showed up at the stall demanding repayment.

Top Durian Station subsequently uploaded CCTV footage to social media that allegedly showed Tan switching off the surveillance cameras before taking the money. The company also posted footage of his arrest and announced that he was no longer employed there.

Malaysian singer-songwriter Diorlying. Photo from Instagram

The case attracted broader public attention after Tan was identified as Diorlying’s younger brother.

In October 2024, Diorlying said in a lengthy Instagram post that she had severed ties with him because of a gambling addiction that began during his teenage years.

She alleged that he had repeatedly stolen from family members, deceived relatives and fans, and accumulated large debts with loan sharks, according to 8days.

Diorlying also claimed that his debts had once nearly resulted in their younger sister being kidnapped. She warned the public never to lend him money and urged anyone who believed they had been defrauded by him to report the matter to the police.

Diorlying, whose real name is Tan Jia Ying, gained recognition in 2020 with the song “Love Myself More.” She has since released several popular Mandarin songs, including “Divorce in Ghana” and “A Few Days.”