SINGAPORE, March 6 -- A foreign couple have been charged in Singapore after allegedly staging a fake snatch-theft report to avoid paying Sri Lankan customs duties on gold jewellery they had bought in the city-state.

According to The Straits Times, Hewa Sahabanduge Waruna Kanishka, 30, and his wife Jayasekara Gamlath Ralalage Yehelichathurika, 29, appeared in the State Courts yesterday over their suspected roles in obstructing justice with common intention.

Hewa, a Japanese national, also faces a separate charge for allegedly giving false information to police.

The pair asked to be allowed to contact the Sri Lankan High Commission in Singapore for legal assistance.

Court papers showed that Hewa lodged a police report on March 4 claimin...