Pannir Selvam a/l Pranthaman (born 31 July 1987) is a Malaysian drug trafficker who was convicted of trafficking 51.84g of heroin at Woodlands Checkpoint in September 2014. Pannir, who was not certified as a drug courier, was sentenced to death in Singapore for his crime in May 2017. After his appeal was dismissed in February 2018, Pannir and his family submitted various clemency petitions, which were all rejected on 17 May 2019.
Pannir was originally scheduled to hang on 24 May 2019, but Pannir managed to postpone his execution pending a last-minute appeal to challenge the decision to not pardon him and also the prosecution's decision to not certify him as a courier. This appeal ended in failure in February 2020, and also in November 2021. and Pannir is currently on death row, awaiting his next date of execution, which was pending confirmation and yet delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, which first emerged since January 2020.
Early life
Born on 31 July 1987 in Ipoh, Malaysia, Pannir Selvam a/l Pranthaman was the third child out of six children in an ethnic Indian family. He has an older brother and sister, two younger brothers and a younger sister, and all members of the family were very close to each other. Pannir's father Pranthaman Rajoo was a lorry driver and church pastor, while Pannir's mother Saratha Rajoo was a housewife. Being a Christian by birth, Pannir was educated at the Anglo-Chinese School in Ipoh. He was known to be enthusiastic in school sports and had represented his school in some official sport events. Yet, Pannir did not have a lot of friends in school. At age 17, Pannir graduated from secondary school after he completed his final-year examinations, known as Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) in Malaysia.
According to an official website detailing his early life and case, after completing his schooling, Pannir worked as a warehouse assistant at Panca Estetik Enterprise. His colleagues described him as a hardworking and adept young man; his capability at work earned him his first promotion within three months of joining his first job. During his free time, Pannir loved music and had a hobby of playing drums, which he incorporated as a member of the church band aside from his prayers at the church. His favourite artistes are Tupac Shakur and Malique. Pannir was described to be a kind person who helped those in need and was loving towards his family despite being slightly hot-headed.
In 2010, Pannir moved to Singapore where he took up a job as a private security officer. He later became enrolled at Stamford American International School (SAIS) as a part-time student in June 2013 to further his studies at the same time. Pannir also became a member of Singapore Heart Foundation and MSQ Singapore. He also maintained contact with his family while in Singapore, and would still visit them once in a while. He also financed one of his sisters' university education with his salary from his job in Singapore. Two of his sisters were university graduates on scholarships; one of his brothers was studying for his Masters in university as well.
Trafficking of heroin and arrest
Capture and trial
On 3 September 2014, 27-year-old Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint, as he was discovered carrying heroin in his possession while entering Singapore. The total amount of heroin found on Pannir was 51.84g. Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, if anyone was discovered to be illegally trafficking at least 15g of heroin at the time of his or her arrest, he or she will face the gallows in Singapore. Pannir was thus in line for the death penalty in Singapore. He was in remand for two to three years before his trial began. The news of Pannir's arrest brought shock to Pannir's family, who did not notice anything amiss even though they knew he gambled, smoked and drank sometimes while in Singapore.