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  A 41-year-old Bangladeshi man was charged in court on March 24, 2025, with outrage of modesty after allegedly molesting a Taiwanese tourist at a capsule hotel in Bugis. The incident reportedly occurred at The Room @ Bugis on Tan Quee Lan Street around 4 p.m. on March 22. The accused, who worked at the hotel, is alleged to have forcibly kissed the 45-year-old woman, restrained her, and inappropriately touched her chest, thigh, and genitals. According to court documents, the man also allegedly attempted to drag the woman to a bed. At one point, she claimed he tried to force her to sleep in a room with male lodgers. Using all her strength, she managed to escape and ran to rinse her mouth in disgust. The woman later shared her experience in a Threads post, though the post was no longer accessible as of the evening of March 24. She stated that she had come to Singapore for leisure and decided to report the incident to the police to prevent others from becoming victims. On her way to t...

  A 23-year-old Indonesian man, Brilliant Angjaya, was sentenced to three weeks in jail on March 24, 2025, for exposing his genitals to a Singapore Airlines cabin crew member while onboard a flight from China to Singapore earlier this year. The incident occurred on January 23, 2025, when Angjaya, who was seated in business class, consumed two glasses of champagne and became intoxicated before falling asleep. Upon waking up, he went to the lavatory and, according to court documents, developed a sudden urge to record himself exposing his genitals to someone and capturing their reaction on video. At around 4:45 a.m., he returned to his seat and placed his phone in recording mode with the back camera facing the walkway. He then unzipped his jeans, leaving his genitals exposed under a blanket. Moments later, a female flight attendant approached him to serve his in-flight meal. Shocked at seeing Angjaya’s exposed genitals, the cabin crew member quickly looked away, placed the meal tra...

A video posted on social media on March 24, 2025, captured a heated altercation between a man and a woman near the walkway connecting Paya Lebar MRT station and Paya Lebar Square. The footage quickly went viral, drawing widespread reactions from netizens who voiced concerns over public disturbances and safety in the area. In the video, the woman appears to be involved in an argument with a group of foreign workers before the man intervenes in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. However, rather than calming down, the woman turns her aggression toward the man, slapping and shoving him repeatedly. The man then holds her back and moves her toward a seating area at the side, seemingly trying to prevent the situation from escalating further. Throughout the clip, bystanders can be seen stepping aside to avoid the commotion, with some glancing over but choosing not to intervene. The exact reason behind the argument remains unclear, but many online commenters speculate that the dispute c...

  A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer has been sentenced to one year in jail after admitting to consuming methamphetamine. Rahul Tay Abdullah, also known as Jeremy Tay Chen, was caught during a routine urine test in August 2024. At the time of his offence, the 50-year-old was serving at the Civil Defence Academy with the rank of Warrant Officer. According to government records, Tay was a medical certification team tester and had received a Long Service Medal in 2022 for his contributions. Following his drug test failure, Tay was interdicted from duty on January 21, 2025. The SCDF stated that he will be subject to public service disciplinary action, which could result in dismissal. A spokesperson emphasized that the SCDF maintains strict standards of professionalism and discipline among its officers. Tay’s offence was uncovered on August 7, 2024, when he was required to undergo a routine urine test at around 8:30 AM while on duty at the Civil Defence Academy. The initial ...

  On March 23, 2025, Minister for Culture, Community & Youth Edwin Tong addressed concerns regarding a viral video taken during his recent walkabout in Marine Parade. He claimed that the video was used “out of context” to push a “political objective.” The clip, originally posted on March 22, showed Tong visiting a coffee shop in the Marine Terrace area, going from table to table to interact with residents. At one point, an elderly man sitting at a table with other patrons raised his hand, making a gesture. Shortly after, a volunteer in Tong’s team was seen speaking with him and briefly pointing toward the camera. The original poster of the video, who also briefly spoke with Tong, later commented that he found Tong’s entourage “a bit overwhelming” and suggested that there could be “warmer, more authentic” ways to connect with residents. Following its upload, the video was widely shared across socio-political platforms such as "Wake Up Singapore" and The Online Citizen, lea...

  On March 24, 2025, it was announced that all Cold Storage and Giant supermarket outlets in Singapore will be sold to Malaysian retail group Macrovalue for an initial price of $125 million. The deal includes all 48 Cold Storage stores, including CS Fresh, CS Gold, and Jason’s Deli, as well as 41 Giant outlets and two distribution centers. Macrovalue will take full ownership of the businesses, with the transaction expected to be completed in the second half of 2025. DFI Retail Group, the current owner of Cold Storage and Giant in Singapore, will shift its focus to expanding its Guardian Pharmacy and 7-Eleven businesses in Singapore and the region, including markets such as Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Following the announcement, DFI’s share price rose by 5.3% at 1:45 PM. Macrovalue already owns the Cold Storage and Giant operations in Malaysia after acquiring GCH Retail Group in 2023. By bringing the Singapore operations under its umbrella, Macrovalue aims to enhance e...

  Between mid-February and early March 2025, the Commercial Affairs Department’s Anti-Scam Command (ASCom) and the Police Land Divisions’ Scam Strike Teams carried out a large-scale island-wide operation against Government Official Impersonation Scams (GOIS), investment scams, and job scams. This effort, conducted with support from local banks, aimed to dismantle networks facilitating fraudulent activities that have been causing significant financial losses. In 2024, total scam losses in Singapore soared to a staggering $1.1 billion, with GOIS, investment, and job scams contributing the highest amounts. These scams typically involved fraudsters contacting victims through illegally obtained phone numbers and messaging platforms, tricking them into transferring money to bank accounts or cryptocurrency wallets under criminal control. As part of the crackdown, officers collaborated with banks to trace stolen funds and freeze over 300 bank accounts linked to these scams. Through fund ...

On March 23, 2025, a viral video surfaced online showing a Singapore-registered Toyota Wish attempting to cut the queue at the Johor Bahru customs checkpoint by using the bus lane. The reckless maneuver disrupted traffic flow and resulted in immediate intervention by Malaysian authorities. The footage, captured by another road user, shows the Toyota Wish entering the bus-only lane in an attempt to bypass the long queue of vehicles heading into Malaysia. However, the move quickly backfired when the driver found himself stuck in front of a public bus. The bus driver, unable to proceed, repeatedly honked at the car, further drawing attention to the situation. As the video continues, the Toyota Wish driver appears hesitant, realizing that rejoining the car queue is not as simple as anticipated. The obstruction caused by the car forced the bus and other vehicles behind it to stop, delaying public transport services at the already congested border crossing. After several moments of standstil...

  Have you ever wondered why hawker food prices keep rising? Why your simple chicken rice now costs $5 or more? Many hawkers are struggling, not because they want to raise prices, but because of high food costs, rental fees, and labor expenses. Today, I’m going to focus on rental costs—one of the biggest reasons why food prices are going up. Before becoming a content creator, I was aspired to be a hawker. I even tried bidding for a hawker stall but lost. Over the years, I’ve spoken to many hawkers about their struggles, and today, I want to share insights that I believe many hawkers want the government to hear. You might ask, what have coffeeshop have to do with the government? Well, new BTO coffeeshop are awarded by bidding system from HDB. BTO coffeeshops are charging sky-high rental fees. For example, a new coffeeshop in Tampines has stalls renting for $8,000 to $10,000 per month! Another coffeeshop in Tengah was awarded at $60,000 per month, meaning each stall’s rental is at le...

  A massage therapist from a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic in Tanjong Pagar was sentenced to one year in jail and three strokes of the cane on March 21, 2025, after being convicted of molesting a female customer. The offender, Tan Lok Kiang, a 31-year-old Malaysian, had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of molestation, while two additional charges involving the same victim were taken into consideration during sentencing. Due to a gag order, the identity of the victim, including her name and age, cannot be disclosed. Incident at Sin Kang TCM Clinic Tan was employed as a massage therapist at Sin Kang TCM’s outlet at 100AM shopping mall when the incident occurred. On December 22, 2022, a female customer visited the clinic around midday for an hour-long body massage. She was initially scheduled to be treated by another therapist, but when that therapist was unavailable, she was assigned to Tan instead. Inside the massage room, the victim removed her clothes and underg...

  A 34-year-old man who “rented out” his bank account for extra cash was sentenced to a year and nine months in jail after the account was used to receive over $3.3 million linked to illegal online gambling. Kong Juu Wenn had been struggling with debt, owing money on bank loans and to unlicensed moneylenders. In mid-2022, he came across a Telegram advertisement offering payment for renting out bank accounts. The post included contact details for someone named “Mars.” Curious about the offer, Kong contacted Mars and was told he would receive $600 per month for every bank account he provided. On July 8, 2022, he opened a new bank account and shared the details with Mars via WhatsApp. Between July and November 2022, more than $3.3 million was deposited into the account, with most of the funds being withdrawn soon after. Kong received $600 per month from August to October but did not receive further payments after that. Despite realizing that the account was facilitating illegal gambli...

  A former actor from the popular Singapore comedy channel Wah!Banana was convicted of rape, sexual assault by penetration, and molestation on March 21, 2025, after a High Court trial. Lev Panfilov, a Russian-born Singapore permanent resident, was found guilty of all four charges against him. The case involved a woman he met on the dating app Tinder, whom he sexually assaulted in his residence after they had met at a restaurant earlier that day. The victim’s identity is protected by a gag order. Court Ruling and Key Evidence Delivering the verdict, Justice Pang Khang Chau described the victim as an "unusually convincing" witness, though he acknowledged that her testimony had certain challenges. The defense had highlighted several points to question her credibility, including: The fact that she provided her home address to Panfilov after the incident so he could book a private-hire vehicle for her. Her continued response to his text messages in the following days. A three-d...

  On March 19, 2025, the State Courts convicted two Singaporean men, Jake Lam, 59, and Teo Ee Meng, 50, for their involvement in a fraudulent scheme to evade duties on liquor. The duo was found guilty of illegally diverting 15,820 bottles of liquor meant for export into the local market, resulting in duty evasion amounting to approximately $249,863. Lam, the director of Kingsman Wine & Spirits Pte Ltd and T.W.I. Wine & Spirits Pte Ltd, was identified as the mastermind of the scheme. He was sentenced to a fine of $1,350,000. Teo, who worked as the warehouse manager for both companies, was fined $1,050,000. How the Fraud Was Carried Out The scheme involved the deliberate misdeclaration of liquor shipments. Instead of exporting the declared goods, Lam and Teo retained a portion of the liquor at their warehouse, replacing them with beer—an alcoholic product subject to lower duties—before shipping the containers. The retained liquor was then moved from TWI’s warehouse to Kingsma...

  A traffic disruption lasting over two hours occurred on the morning of March 21, 2025, along Balestier Road after a trailer truck lost its cargo—a massive silo tank—at the junction of Kim Keat Road and Balestier Road. The accident, which happened at around 9am, resulted in two out of three lanes being closed towards Thomson Road, causing heavy congestion. The situation was eventually managed by the Traffic Police, who worked to control the jam while a crane was dispatched to remove the detached tank and the trailer truck. Incident Details According to the truck driver, the silo tank detached as he was navigating a turn. When responders arrived at the scene, it was observed that two of the three securing belts had snapped, leaving one end of the tank resting on the pavement. Despite the severity of the incident, no injuries were reported. Authorities confirmed that the 31-year-old prime mover driver is currently assisting with investigations. By around 11.15am, a crane was deploye...

  Gunalan Morgan, a 43-year-old radio DJ from Mediacorp’s Tamil station Oli968, has been charged in Singapore’s State Courts with multiple offences, including voyeurism and sexual communication with a minor. On March 21, 2025, he was handed seven charges, four of which are sex-related. A gag order has been issued to protect the identities of the victims and the locations where the alleged incidents occurred. Mediacorp, in response to media queries, confirmed that Gunalan was immediately suspended after his arrest and has since been issued a termination notice. The company declined to provide further comments on the case. Allegations of Sexual Communication with a Minor Gunalan is accused of engaging in sexual communication with a minor under the age of 16 between August 25 and August 31, 2024. Such communication is considered a serious offence under Singapore law. On September 16, 2024, after learning that a police report had been filed against him, Gunalan allegedly deleted I...

  A 28-year-old Indian national was arrested at Changi Airport for allegedly stealing four bottles of perfume worth approximately $742 from different retail stores within the transit area. The incident took place on March 15, 2024, when airport police were alerted to a suspected shop theft at The Shilla Duty Free Cosmetic Shop in Terminal 2’s Departure Transit area. Retail staff conducting an inventory check discovered that two bottles of perfume were missing. Upon reviewing CCTV footage, they noticed a woman taking the perfume without making any payment. Staff immediately informed a security officer who was on patrol, and he quickly located the suspect within the transit area before she could board her flight out of Singapore. When confronted, the woman initially returned only one bottle of perfume. However, a search of her belongings revealed another three bottles, confirming that she had taken a total of four bottles from multiple stores. Further investigations showed that she h...

  Singaporean influencer Chin Tung Sheng, who had over 334,000 Instagram followers, was sentenced to 32 months and one week in jail on March 19, 2025, after pleading guilty to seven charges, including cheating, theft, and forgery. The 26-year-old, once known for his extravagant lifestyle on social media, had committed fraud over a long period. District Judge Kenneth Chin described him as a "prolific fraudster" who continued his crimes despite receiving a 24-month conditional warning on January 8, 2021. Some of his offenses took place during this warning period, and he only stopped when he was caught. One of his crimes involved cheating a food delivery rider on July 21, 2022. He manipulated a PayNow receipt to make it appear as though he had paid S$63 for his order but never made the actual transfer. Another major offense was the break-in at a Sentosa bungalow between November and December 2023. He visited the property several times under the pretense of being a prospective...

  A British man, Richard Michael Roll Burridge, was fined S$5,000 on March 20 after verbally abusing an airline officer and damaging an aerobridge at Changi Airport. The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of harassment and one count of mischief. The incident occurred on March 7 at around 11:40 PM when Burridge was on board a Singapore Airlines flight bound for London. As he waited for other passengers to board, he realized he had misplaced his mobile phone. Using another device, he contacted his wife, who used a tracking app to locate the phone within the departure transit lounge. Burridge informed a crew member about the situation, prompting staff to search for the phone. However, despite efforts by the airline team, it was not found. Frustrated, he decided to leave the plane and personally look for it. At around 11:43 PM, Burridge approached a traffic liaison officer at Terminal 3’s gate hold room, requesting permission to exit and search for his phone. The officer warned hi...

  A picture of a prefabricated concrete block used in public housing construction has gone viral on social media, drawing both safety concerns and humorous responses from netizens. The image, first shared on March 19, shows a large concrete structure, complete with window grilles, resting in the left-most lane of a road. A trailer truck carrying similar structures is visible ahead, suggesting that the block may have fallen off during transportation. The incident took place at Tuas South Avenue 9, with the police confirming that they were alerted at around 7:40 AM on March 19. No injuries were reported, and the 31-year-old driver of the trailer truck is currently assisting with investigations. The incident raises questions about transport safety regulations, especially for large construction materials. Prefabricated components are commonly used in public housing projects, and ensuring their secure transportation is critical to prevent potential accidents. Authorities are likely to...

  On the afternoon of March 19, an elderly pedestrian was taken to the hospital following an accident involving a public bus in Punggol. The incident occurred around 4 PM at the junction of Sumang Walk and Sumang Link. Authorities confirmed that the pedestrian, an 82-year-old man, was transported to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for medical treatment. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to the scene, and the police have since launched an investigation. The bus driver, a 53-year-old man, is assisting with inquiries regarding the circumstances of the accident. A video of the aftermath, shared on social media, shows a stationary green bus—service 382G operated by Go-Ahead Singapore—at the junction where the accident occurred. Several individuals are seen attending to the injured pedestrian. A person wearing a motorcycle helmet is kneeling on the ground, while another, dressed in a red-and-yellow uniformed top, is crouching nearby. Two umbrellas are being used to provide she...