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  A 56-year-old Singaporean man has been sentenced to 11 weeks in prison for a series of cheating offences involving bounced cheques and a doctored payment screenshot to avoid paying for goods and services totaling over $26,000. Ho Kien Mun pleaded guilty to 11 charges of cheating on Thursday, September 25, with another 19 similar charges taken into consideration by the court for sentencing. The offences revealed a pattern of deceptive behavior to obtain services without immediate payment. The case centered on two main schemes. The first involved a large phone bill accumulated with Singtel between early 2018 and September 2019. Ho admitted to making frequent overseas calls and calls to chatlines, running up bills he could not pay. To prevent the termination of his phone service, he used a chequebook from his defunct company, SLT Peripherals & Services, whose bank account had been closed. He issued 10 cheques totaling $26,123.38 and mailed them to Singtel. He would then use the ...

  Two men have been sentenced to significant prison terms for sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman in a hotel room in 2023 and subsequently attempting to obstruct justice. The High Court delivered the sentences on September 24 after convicting the men in July following a trial. The first man, aged 50, was sentenced to 13 years and 10 months in prison. He was convicted on charges of molestation, sexual assault, and obstructing justice. As he is over the age of 50 and therefore exempt from caning under Singapore law, he will serve an additional six months in jail in lieu of 11 strokes of the cane. The second man, aged 51, received a stiffer sentence of 18 years' imprisonment. He was convicted on six charges, including the more serious offence of rape, other sexual assault charges, possessing an intimate image of the victim without her consent, and obstructing justice. He will also serve an additional one year in jail in lieu of the maximum 24 strokes of the cane. Both men are for...

  Two individuals accused of conspiring to cheat three victims out of nearly 263,000 Singapore dollars have been granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal after receiving stern warnings from the authorities. The pair, Chinese national Wang Rui, 34, and Malaysian national Sau Young Seng, 38, will not face further prosecution for these offences. The Attorney-General's Chambers confirmed the decision in a statement on September 24, explaining that after carefully considering the facts and circumstances of the case, the prosecution directed that stern warnings be issued in lieu of proceeding with a trial. Following the administration of these warnings, the prosecution applied for the discharge, which was granted by District Judge Brenda Tan on September 17. Wang and Sau had each faced three cheating charges stemming from their alleged involvement in a conspiracy that took place between June and August 2024. They were accused of working with other unknown individuals to deceive the ...

  A 39-year-old father of three has pleaded guilty to a brutal assault on his wife that left her with multiple fractures. Au Yong Khin Mun admitted to one charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt for the attack, which occurred in a public canteen. The incident took place on the morning of December 2, 2024, at a canteen within the Singapore University of Technology and Design in Changi. The couple had just dropped their four-year-old twin daughters at a nearby preschool and were having a meal. They also have a two-year-old son and have been married for approximately five years, though they are now undergoing divorce proceedings. According to the Deputy Public Prosecutor, the assault was triggered by a financial dispute. During breakfast, Au Yong expressed his desire to use the proceeds from the sale of their condominium to pay off his personal credit card bills. His wife disagreed, stating that the money should be used to purchase a Housing Board flat instead. This disagreement a...

  A 61-year-old motorist has been sentenced to seven days in jail for a rash act that caused hurt to a police officer after he was found asleep at the wheel of his car following a drinking session. Lew Voon Kim was convicted after a trial and also disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for one year upon his release. The incident occurred on July 5, 2023, near the cross-junction of Lorong 6 Toa Payoh and Toa Payoh East. Lew had consumed alcohol before driving and subsequently nodded off, causing his vehicle to come to a stop in the middle of the road with its engine still running. Two police officers, Station Inspector Mohammad Daniel Zulkarnain Ahmad Farid and Special Constable Marcus Yap, arrived at the scene. After instructing Lew to exit the vehicle, Station Inspector Daniel reached through the driver's side window in an attempt to turn off the engine. At that moment, the car suddenly surged forward. According to the testimony of Special Constable Yap, the move...

  A significant drug smuggling attempt was foiled at Singapore's Tuas Checkpoint on the morning of September 20, 2025, leading to the arrest of a 37-year-old Malaysian man. The interception prevented a large quantity of narcotics, with an estimated street value of over 272,000 Singapore dollars, from entering the country. The operation began when vigilant officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority directed a Malaysia-registered car for enhanced inspection. During a thorough search of the vehicle, officers discovered two black bundles suspected to contain controlled drugs. These bundles were found concealed within a panel in the rear boot of the car. Following this initial discovery, the Central Narcotics Bureau was immediately alerted. CNB officers arrived on the scene and conducted a more extensive examination of the vehicle. This secondary inspection led to the uncovering of an additional six black bundles hidden in various other compartments of the car, demonstratin...

  A 46-year-old man has been sentenced to four years in prison and six strokes of the cane for the aggravated molestation of a recruiter in a shopping mall nursing room. The incident occurred on the evening of March 1, 2023, at Changi City Point. The convicted individual, Ankit Sharma, an Indian national who is a Singapore Permanent Resident, had met the 31-year-old victim for the first time that day. The victim, a technology specialist recruiter, had reached out to him after a colleague shared his profile. Their meeting began professionally, discussing employment opportunities for Sharma and his wife over alcoholic drinks at a bar. The conversation later shifted to personal topics, with Sharma asking the victim intrusive questions about her relationship status and history. The victim grew uncomfortable and excused herself to use the restroom around 8:45 PM, where she texted her boyfriend asking him to check in on her by 9:00 PM, expressing concern that the candidate was "a bit dr...

  A woman has died following a violent altercation between neighbours at a Housing Board block in Yishun on the morning of September 24. The incident, which is believed to have stemmed from a long-standing dispute, also left her husband and the alleged attacker seriously injured. The Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed they received a call for assistance at Block 323 Yishun Central at approximately 7:25 AM. Emergency responders transported three individuals with serious injuries to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. The woman was later pronounced dead. The other two individuals are her husband and the alleged assailant, who has been arrested by the police. Eyewitness accounts and evidence at the scene painted a grim picture of the violence. A resident, a 69-year-old business owner who wished to be known only as Mr Koh, reported hearing screams and a commotion around 7:00 AM. Upon investigating the sixth floor, he discovered an unconscious woman lying near the lift, severely wounded and d...

  A 41-year-old Singaporean man is awaiting sentencing after he admitted to sending fake bomb threats to a cruise company because he was upset over gambling losses. Neo Hui Ghim pleaded guilty to one count of communicating false information about a harmful situation. His actions caused a significant security operation and delayed the boarding of approximately 4,000 passengers for two hours. The incident stemmed from a cruise trip that Neo took with his parents aboard a Resorts World Cruises ship from Singapore to Malaysia and back. The trip occurred between October 11 and October 13, 2023. During the voyage, Neo was reportedly disappointed after being unable to obtain tickets for a concert on the ship as they were sold out. He subsequently gambled at the ship's casino on several occasions and allegedly lost a total of around 2,000 Singapore dollars. Less than an hour after the cruise ended at 1:20 PM on October 13, Neo, while riding on an MRT train, began dwelling on his disappoint...

  A police report has been lodged against a man who filmed himself drinking water on an MRT train in defiance of the "No Drinking" signs. The viral video, shared on September 21, shows the man announcing a "challenge" before drinking water next to the sign and giving a thumbs-up. The incident occurred on the East West Line. The president of SMRT Trains confirmed the report, stating that consuming food or drinks on trains is strictly prohibited and that such irresponsible behaviour is taken seriously. The video sparked online debate, with some questioning the severity of the rule and others criticising the act. Commuters are encouraged to report such incidents to staff.

  A 30-year-old social media influencer has been sentenced for stealing items from a supermarket. Genie Yamaguchi was issued a Day Reporting Order on September 23, which includes a requirement to wear an electronic tag and adhere to a strict nightly curfew. Yamaguchi, who operates a preserved flower service and a beauty aesthetics clinic, had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of theft. The incident occurred in the early hours of August 25, 2024, at the Don Don Donki supermarket located in Orchard Central. Court documents detailed that Yamaguchi and a friend, Lee Suet Keay Cheryl, were at the supermarket around 2:30 AM. The two individuals placed 27 items into a shopping cart and subsequently left the store without making any payment. The stolen goods included a variety of products such as beauty items, bags, and food, with a total value of 628.90 Singapore dollars. The theft was witnessed by a supermarket staff member, who immediately reported the incident to his manager. The...

  A mysterious luminous orb that captivated social media users across Singapore has been revealed as an elaborate marketing campaign. Over the past week, videos of a violet, glowing sphere floating in various neighborhoods sparked widespread speculation and went viral on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The phenomenon first gained attention on September 19, when a TikTok user posted dashcam footage from a car in Tampines. The video captured a female passenger urging the male driver to pull over because of a large, unexplained object in the road ahead. The clip quickly amassed over 40,000 likes and was shared more than 24,000 times. Subsequently, similar videos surfaced showing the enigmatic ball of light at other locations, including a pavement in Pasir Ris Park and a void deck in Yishun. The videos triggered a wave of online comments as members of the public attempted to identify the object. Many suggested it was a rare natural weather phenomenon known as ball lightning, which...

  A commuter is on trial after allegedly assaulting a security officer who requested a bag screening at an MRT station. The incident occurred on the morning of August 17, 2024, at Lorong Chuan MRT Station. The accused, Alina Meridian, a 31-year-old male who identifies as female and requested to be referred to by the name Alina in court, has claimed trial to two charges. The first is for voluntarily causing hurt to a 65-year-old security officer, Madam Cindy Tay Jui Hwa. The second charge is for using threatening behavior by shouting and gesturing aggressively at another colleague of Mdm Tay. The alleged victim, Mdm Tay, who was 65 at the time of the incident and is now 66, testified as the first prosecution witness. She introduced herself as a senior security officer and a team lead with Certis Cisco. On the day of the incident, which was a relatively quiet Saturday, she was performing security screenings before commuters entered the MRT gantries. Mdm Tay stated that she noticed Me...

  Two men have been convicted in a Singapore court for their roles in a major document falsification case linked to the collapsed German financial services company Wirecard AG. The convictions are connected to the creation of false letters confirming the existence of hundreds of millions of dollars that were never actually held in escrow accounts. The convicted individuals are R Shanmugaratnam, a 59-year-old Singaporean and director of the local accounting firm Citadelle Corporate Services, and James Henry O'Sullivan, a 50-year-old British national. The court found that O'Sullivan instigated Shanmugaratnam to issue the fraudulent documents. District Judge Kow Keng Siong found the two men guilty of their respective charges following a hearing on Monday, September 22. The judge stated he would release his full written grounds for the decision by the end of the week. Shanmugaratnam was convicted on 13 charges for falsifying balance confirmation letters with fraudulent intent betwe...

  A 41-year-old man was taken into custody by Singapore police after a violent struggle during an arrest that uncovered a series of alleged offences. The incident began on the morning of September 20, when police were alerted to a man reported to be behaving suspiciously along Ubi Avenue 3. Officers arrived at the scene at approximately 11:30 AM and found the man sitting on the road next to his car. When the police approached him to conduct a check, the man verbally provided them with a false identity in an attempt to avoid detection. The officers proceeded to conduct further checks on the individual, which led to a significant discovery. During the search, the police found substances that are suspected to be controlled drugs. They also discovered drug paraphernalia, an electronic vaporiser, which is a prohibited item in Singapore, and a bank card that did not bear the man's name. Upon establishing the man's true identity through police databases, it was revealed that he was al...

  A viral video posted on September 21 shows a man having an emotional outburst at a casino resort. The footage depicts him screaming while seated on the floor before lying down. The exact location and time are unconfirmed, but the setting appears to be in Resort World Casino. Later in the video, security personnel are seen carrying the man away. The video sparked numerous comments from netizens, many of whom assumed the distress was gambling-related. 

  A 43-year-old man has been taken into custody by Singapore police in connection with a serious assault that occurred in the Pasir Panjang area. The man is accused of voluntarily causing hurt to a woman using a dangerous weapon, identified in the incident as a chopper. The police operation began on the morning of September 19, when authorities received a call requesting assistance at approximately 11:20 AM. Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered a 32-year-old woman who had sustained significant injuries. The victim was found with lacerations on her head and her left hand. Emergency services provided immediate medical attention, and she was transported to a hospital while conscious. Preliminary investigations indicate that the man allegedly used a chopper to inflict the injuries upon the woman. Following the alleged assault, the suspect fled the location before police units could arrive on the scene. This initiated a swift and comprehensive response from multiple divisions...

  Singapore is set to welcome its first public autonomous shuttle services, with the initial route in Punggol opening to residents by the second quarter of 2026. The Land Transport Authority announced the initiative, which will feature three routes operated by transport giants Grab and ComfortDelGro in partnership with autonomous vehicle technology companies. Two of the routes will be operated by Grab using autonomous vehicles developed by the technology company WeRide. The third route will be operated by ComfortDelGro using vehicles from the technology company Pony.ai. The shuttle fleet will initially consist of a mix of five to eight-seater vehicles. For easy identification by all road users, the shuttles will be painted a distinct purple color and will be clearly labeled as an autonomous shuttle. The first route to launch, operated by Grab, will connect residents from the Matilda Court and Punggol Clover areas to the polyclinic at Oasis Terraces via Punggol Plaza. This...