After being led to download a mobile application he thought was for an exercise class, an elderly man received a message from "DBS" notifying him about a suspicious S$50,000 transaction.

As he and his family were calling DBS to verify the message, the phone was accessed and locked remotely.

A message was then left on a black screen, which read, “I won't let you contact DBS and fraud team."

Facebook ad for aerobics class

Speaking to Mothership, the man’s daughter, Nicole, shared that the purported hacking took place on Sep. 22 at around 7pm.

In the lead-up to that, her mum, 60, had come across a video advert on Facebook for an elderly aerobics class.

In her posts on Threads, Nicole wrote that her mum “still cannot distinguish between real and AI”.

After seeing the post, her mum sent in her dad’s phone number via the advert.

Her dad is 66 years old, Nicole shared.

Asked to download an app

Afterwards, a staff from the purported aerobics class phoned Nicole’s dad and said they could help sign him up.

“She did sound foreign so my dad did ask if she was. She denied and said she was Singaporean,” Nicole wrote on Threads.

However, he proceeded as he was told about the class by Nicole's mum.

The woman on the call then guided her dad to download an app named “Water Fitness”.

According to her dad, the app was downloaded from the Android app store, Nicole shared.

Her dad was using a Samsung S26.

However, apart from downloading the app, the woman on the call also got him to change some of the settings on his phone.

“This is how I think she got into his phone,” Nicole guessed.

Nicole shared that after the setting changes were made, the phone started going “bonkers” and overheating.

According to images shared by Nicole, the application had access to the phone's camera and microphone, among others.

Message from "DBS" about suspicious transaction

Afterwards, her dad went about his day and later visited Nicole’s place, where he informed her about a message, purportedly from DBS.

The message was from an alleged fraud department notifying them about a suspicious transaction involving S$50,000.

This was when they realised something was amiss.

Using her own phone, Nicole called DBS to verify the message and alleged transaction.

Phone remotely taken over

It was during this call when her dad’s phone appeared to be remotely taken over.

“The green light came on and the message was shown on the screen,” Nicole recalled.

According to Samsung's website, a green dot in the notification bar indicates that an application is accessing the phone’s camera and microphone.

The phone’s screen was locked, with a message appearing:

"I wont let you contact DBS and fraud team.”

“That’s when I quickly shut the phone off and placed it face down elsewhere,” Nicole shared.

Dad shaken by episode

The family proceeded to call the banks to see if there were any unauthorised transactions made.

They also visited DBS to secure her dad’s account.

No money was taken from the accounts, Nicole shared.

His SIM card has since been replaced, and the phone has been wiped.

As they were resetting the phone, Nicole said they found additional mobile applications that were not installed by her dad.

Nicole acknowledged that the phone might still contain malware, and they are considering replacing the phone entirely.

The episode has left Nicole’s dad “very sad and frustrated”.

“He doesn’t dare to use his phone much and wants to do everything traditionally,” Nicole said.

Nicole said she has counselled her parents, telling them that they need to learn from what happened.

“I’ve taught them to use Trustpilot to check the validity of a site,” she pointed out.

Trustpilot is a platform on which reviews for businesses and organisations can be written.

She also said she has warned her mother about AI content sites.

Cautionary tale

Nicole’s post on Threads has gotten over 2,100 likes and 1,000 shares.

“I initially shared because I wanted to get help. I was very flustered and scared and didn’t want to do anything wrongly,” she told Mothership.

“I’m so used to seeing scam awareness posts. I didn’t think this was possible,” she commented.

She added that the close call occurred even though she and her sister had been careful in helping their parents.

“So I wanted to also share what happened to raise awareness to other people… This is real and happened so fast - within a day,” Nicole said.

Nicole also highlighted the dangers of being unable to differentiate between AI and authentic posts, particularly among the elderly.

Responding to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Police Force confirmed that a report was lodged and that they are looking into the matter.

News of Najib Razak’s conditional pardon, which would move him from prison to house arrest, has caused waves in Malaysian politics, but perhaps none quite as consequential as the resignation of Minister for Transport Anthony Loke.

After it was announced that former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak would be given a conditional pardon on Sep. 18, the DAP’s leader and Minister for Transport Anthony Loke reportedly resigned in protest.

But the situation surrounding Najib’s pardon is not as clear-cut as it might at first seem, nor is Loke’s resignation (which it turns out was an offer to resign).

So how did we get here, what was Najib actually granted, and what did Loke actually offer to do?

The Najib pardon

On Sep. 18, it was announced that former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak had been granted a conditional pardon, which would allow him to serve the remainder of his jail sentence on house arrest.

This is subject to him paying a RM50 million (S$15.6 million) fine.

Najib had been sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment in the SRC International case, but in 2024, his sentence was cut in half by the Malaysian Federal Territories Pardons Board.

Part of the sentence for the SRC International case was a RM210 million (at the time, S$59.3 million) fine, which was reduced to RM50 million (then S$14 million, now S$15.6 million).

This fine is important because it is the same fine that is conditioning his move to house arrest.

Controversial news

Understandably, the news has become very controversial in Malaysia, with supporters of Najib welcoming the news, particularly his family and his party, UMNO.

Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) also thanked the Malaysian king for granting the conditional pardon.

PAS’s secretary-general issued a statement praising Najib’s contributions and dedicated service to the nation, as well as hoping he would “contribute ideas, perspectives and experience for the good of the country, as reported by The Star.

This represents a turnaround from just over a decade ago, when the party criticised Najib for not sensing the problems being caused by 1MDB.

It is safe to say that Najib has become symbolic of either corruption or wrongful imprisonment, depending on which side one comes down on in the debate.

So releasing Najib, even to the confinement of house arrest, has come to symbolise the triumph of corruption or justice, two very stark and irreconcilably different positions.

Accountability and resignation

The conditional pardon of Najib has been seen as intolerable for many critical of the former PM and for those seeking accountability for the 1MDB fiasco.

One such group is the reform-minded supporters of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, currently in government.

PH, and its previous Pakatan Rakyat iteration, campaigned vigorously on a pro-reform, anti-corruption platform.

But since taking power in 2022, the coalition has been criticised for not moving fast enough on those reforms, with some suggesting that it has instead spent too much political capital in keeping its odd bedfellow government partner UMNO, Najib’s party, onside.

It has suffered in recent state elections, with PH taking severe beatings in those elections, and no component party has had to bear the brunt of its own supporters’ criticism more than the Democratic Action Party.

So harsh was the rebuke after their poor showings that the party felt compelled to take a vote on whether to remain within the government at all.

While the vote was overwhelmingly in favour of remaining in government, the Sep. 18 conditional pardon has forced the DAP to question whether its political goals were being met in government.

What did Loke say

It has come to the point where the DAP’s leader, secretary-general, and the federal Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke, has offered his resignation after a three-hour meeting on Sep. 20.

In a press conference, flanked by party bigwigs, Loke said that he would offer his resignation to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the “soonest time possible,” and this was the DAP's response to the pardon, as reported by The Star.

CNA quoted Loke as saying, “As a party, we have a stand; we feel this is difficult for DAP and many Malaysians, hence we have discussed for three hours and debated; we have reached a decision.”

But Loke and the DAP were careful not to insult the royal institution, saying that while Najib’s conditional release to house arrest was unprecedented, “we respect the power of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to make that decision.”

There appears to have been initial confusion about what exactly Loke was offering, although it soon became clear that Loke was going to offer to resign.

As of Sep. 23, Loke remains in office and has travelled to China to participate in the APEC Transport Ministers Meeting.

Final decision

But Loke is not the only DAP minister; four others hold ministerial positions, not counting others who hold more junior roles.

At the time, Loke specifically said that there was no intention for those ministers to resign, suggesting that doing so could cause the collapse of the federal government.

Of note is the position of Hannah Yeoh, who is Federal Territories Minister and a member of the Pardons Board.

In the run-up to Najib’s pardon, Yeoh said she had expressed her views “honestly, guided by my conscience and in the country’s interest”.

But she noted that according to the federal constitution, “the authority and final decision rests with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.”

Out of office

Anwar has said that he will meet with Loke before making a decision on his resignation.

The Malay Mail quotes Anwar as saying, “I have to listen to his views, and I understand because he is a principled person.”

“From the beginning he has been consistent in opposing measures that could give the impression that we are weak or lenient towards corrupt practices, especially when action is taken against many others, including those involved in petty corruption.”

He confirmed that Loke had told him of his intentions, but they would only meet after their respective travel itineraries allowed them to.

Loke, however, intends to remain as the DAP’s secretary-general.

He would also retain his seat in the Dewan Rakyat, even as he has lost his state-level seat in the Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly.

A fine mess

As for Najib, things are not quite so clear-cut either.

The conditional pardon still raises the question of where he will find RM50 million to pay his fine.

UMNO is passing around a collection plate to raise money for him to pay his fine, with social media commentators suggesting where the money could otherwise come from.

The University of Tasmania’s James Chin, a noted Malaysia watcher, posted on social media that “Najib could still raise RM50 mil from ‘friends’ without much trouble”, suggesting that Najib’s frozen assets would pose little problem for the former PM.

Chin also noted how much direct influence Najib still had, with three of his children holding senior positions within UMNO.

Another case

But there is also the question of what becomes of his 1MDB conviction.

In December 2025, Najib was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment after being convicted in a separate case relating to the 1MDB case, which he is currently appealing.

As the New Straits Times reports, the conditional pardon relates only to the SRC International conviction, not the 1MDB conviction.

Furthermore, the 1MDB sentence is scheduled to begin only upon completion of his SRC sentence.

So there is a chance that, should the conditional pardon go through, his time at home will only be a brief interlude before beginning a more serious sentence for an arguably more serious crime.

A 51-year-old man in Singapore has been charged with leaving a standard poodle unattended at a pet grooming facility, eventually resulting in the dog's death.

Chan Yew Heng was a director at Pawsome.sg at the time of the alleged offence, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

Pawsome.sg is a pet care provider and store located along Tanjong Katong Road.

What happened

According to a charge sheet seen by Mothership, the incident took place between about 9:15am and 10:45am on Oct. 30, 2025.

The dog, a four-year-old standard poodle named Buddy, was allegedly left unattended for about 90 minutes, during which its forelegs became trapped by its playpen.

This resulted in "extensive traumatic injury" to its forelegs and eventually its death, the charge sheet stated.

Buddy’s owner had previously told ST that a transport service picked up the dog from his home at about 8am that day and dropped him off at the store at around 9:15am.

At about 11.45am, the owner said he received a call from the grooming facility informing him that Buddy had died.

Chan is expected to plead guilty on Oct. 21.

If convicted, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$40,000, or both.

The Singapore government has accepted all five recommendations from a manpower workgroup to strengthen human capital capabilities and leadership in every workplace.

Working closely on its implementation with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), and industry stakeholders, the Ministry of Manpower said in a joint press release with the organisations that this ensures Singapore's growth continues to be centred in and for its people.

The announcement was made at the launch of a report by the Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development (TWG-HC) on Sep. 24.

This includes a requirement that organisations with over 200 employees must have at least one HR professional certified at the IHRP Certified Professional (IHRP-CP) level or higher by Jul. 1, 2028.

Deputy Secretary (Workforce) of MOM and TWG-HC co-chair, Kenny Tan, said: "Leaders at all levels of the organisation — business leaders, human resource professionals and people managers — must drive enterprise and workforce transformation together."

"Workers must embrace new ways of doing things, new jobs and new skills."

Five recommendations

The TWG-HC was convened in February 2025 to address trends such as technology advancements and increased longevity.

The workgroup has engaged over 1,000 people from various sectors of the workforce to inform its recommendations, the media release said.

The five recommendations TWG-HC made aim to benefit more than two million workers, support at least 2,000 enterprises and build the capabilities of 20,000 HR professionals and people leaders.

The recommendations are as follows:

1. Establish the Singapore Opportunity Index (SOI) in October 2025 as a national benchmark

2. Help enterprises build workforce planning capabilities and bring strategic HR expertise within reach of more SMEs

3. Assist enterprises to use AI effectively and responsibly in HR

4. Professionalise the HR practice by establishing a baseline, including having at least one HR professional who is an IHRP-CP or higher

5. Develop people leaders for the future through leadership programmes

Singapore Opportunity Index (SOI)

According to the report, the SOI measures how career mobility is created across 1,500 organisations which employ more than 1 million residents using verified administrative data.

The data's five key dimensions are pay, progression, gender parity, retention and hiring.

The SOI makes it more visible for workers to make informed career decisions and for employers to see where they can do better.

Practical guides and pilot model

SNEF and IHRP will provide practical guides and showcases that help firms anticipate and plan workforce transformation.

IHRP and local start-up co:grow will also pilot a model to match SMEs that lack dedicated in-house HR expertise with experienced HR leaders on a part-time basis.

This gives SMEs flexible access to strategic HR advice without having to hire a full-time senior HR professional.

AI starter kits and leadership development programme

The People-centred AI Transformation for HR (PATH) initiative provides businesses and HR professionals with a pathway for AI transformation, said the report.

It includes AI starter kits that will be introduced by tripartite partners to help enterprises implement AI for high-impact HR use cases.

This is to enable HR professionals to be active partners in their organisation's AI transformation.

In the media release, TWG-HC said IHRP will work with training partners to introduce more accredited training programmes aligned to 12 new AI fluency skill badges.

NTUC will also develop a playbook to help HR professionals navigate the AI transformation journey, to be released in the first quarter of 2027.

As AI becomes more widely used in hiring and other employment decisions, tripartite partners recommend developing guidance on responsible AI use in recruitment.

This includes processes and safeguards to ensure these decisions remain fair and merit-based, said the press release.

A leadership development programme is also being designed for senior HR and people leaders to equip them with the capabilities, resources and support network to develop next-generation enterprises.

Government will provide support for certification

Around 2,000 firms currently have over 200 employees, which account for 45 per cent of Singapore's total workforce.

Over 900 of these already have at least one HR professional certified by IHRP.

To support the requirement of having at least one HR professional certified at the IHRP-CP level or higher by July 2028, the government will recognise equivalent accreditations and provide subsidies for early adoption.

The media release said firms will satisfy the requirement for certification if their HR professionals hold equivalent certifications from other international HR professional bodies that are recognised by IHRP and meet any prescribed bridging requirements.

Singapore residents are also provided significant subsidies to undertake the IHRP certification.

On top of these subsidies, an additional S$100 subsidy will be granted from Oct. 1, 2026 to Jun. 30, 2028, bringing certification fees down to S$163.50 for IHRP-CP and S$272.50 for IHRP Senior Professionals.

The certification is valid for three years.

Organisations may also use their SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit to offset remaining out-of-pocket fees for their HR professionals.

All organisations, including those with 200 or fewer employees, will be eligible.

This is also to help firms prepare for the roll-out of the Workplace Fairness Act and changes to the Employment Act.

For more information, the public can visit TWG-HC's website here.

A spokesperson from the Singapore Police Force has told Mothership that they are investigating an incident in which a man allegedly recorded schoolgirls with a pair of smart glasses.

The incident appeared to have taken place in the vicinity of Marymount MRT station and Raffles Institution.

Black-rimmed glasses

A video of it was circulated online and showed a man in a dark-coloured t-shirt and shorts trailing a pair of girls, who appeared to be dressed in Raffles Institution uniform.

The man could be seen holding a phone up to his chest while following the girls from behind.

He then turned around while pressing the frame of his black-rimmed glasses, before walking off in the opposite direction.

This was after he was approached by the person filming him.

Parents concerned

On Instagram, Singapore Parents — a parenting advice blog — wrote that the man appeared to be wearing "smart glasses or AI glasses capable of recording video" and that the man's "close proximity and behaviour trailing the students" had triggered public outrage.

They included a screenshot from the video where the rim of the man's glasses appeared to have a pinhole — purportedly where a camera lens may be embedded.

*Editors Note: The teen has been found*

Rainbow Centre, Singapore, a social service agency serving persons with disabilities, is appealing for help after one of its students was reported missing.

The social service agency posted on Instagram on Sep. 23 that 18-year-old Low Zhi Peng had not been seen since 8:40am on Tuesday, Sep. 22, near Khatib MRT Station.

Low is described as approximately 170cm in height and as having autism.

He was last seen dressed in his school uniform — a blue shirt and pants — with a red jacket.

"Zhi Peng loves taking the bus, do keep an eye out for him," wrote Rainbow Centre

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Rainbow Centre, Singapore (@rainbowcentresingapore)

Those who have seen Low are asked to call his parent at 6482 2592 or 9430 4290 or the police at 1800 255 0000.

"Kindly stay with him until help has arrived," requested the post.

A 54-year-old Singaporean woman was sentenced to three months and two weeks’ jail for giving a 58-year-old former St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) facilities manager more than S$52,000 in bribes.

Renee Song Mui Kuan faced four charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

She pleaded guilty to two charges and was sentenced on Sep. 23.

The remaining charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Sales manager

Song was a sales manager of an interior furnishing firm at the time of the offences.

In court documents seen by Mothership, in January 2018, the facilities manager, Ng Cher Him, approached Song and first broached the idea of receiving money in exchange for helping award more jobs and projects to her firm.

Song agreed with Ng, fearing that if she rejected his idea, he would stop awarding jobs or recommending her firm for projects at SJI.

Jobs

Afterwards, Ng would inform Song of jobs and projects at SJI and invite her to submit quotations.

On certain occasions, Ng would instruct Song to mark up a quotation for a particular job or project, which Song would then pay to Ng in cash.

Ng also did not specify the markup on some occasions, which led Song to decide the amount to be paid to him, inflate the quoted price, and pay the markup to Ng in cash if he asked for such gratification.

After her firm was paid for a job or project, Song would withdraw the cash constituting the markup and hand it to Ng in his office at SJI.

On some occasions, she would pocket the markup if Ng did not ask for it.

Gratification

On 10 occasions between Jan. 7, 2019 and Jul. 21, 2020, Song corruptly gave Ng gratification totalling S$18,420.

The firm submitted invoices totalling S$228,717 for the jobs and projects.

On 12 occasions between Aug. 18, 2020, and Sep. 7, 2022, Song corruptly gave Ng gratification totalling S$34,480.

The firm submitted invoices totalling S$502,840.04 for the jobs and projects.

Investigation

On Sep. 30, 2022, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) received information that Ng was involved in corruption-related offences.

CPIB proceeded to investigate him.

Song was also subsequently investigated.

On Jul. 28, she made restitution of S$39,300 to SJI.

Deter

The prosecution sought three-and-a-half months to four-and-a-half months’ jail for Song.

They argued that Song was “unfairly awarded” the jobs and projects at SJI.

“Other vendors which might have been more suitable or able to give more competitive prices lost opportunities,” they said.

The prosecution added that Song’s actions “perverted” Ng’s duty to be “independent and fair” in his prior role as a facilities manager at SJI.

“Such offences must be met with stiff sentences to ensure that like-minded offenders are deterred from corrupting agents of government institutions, including schools, from abusing their positions for personal gains, which would otherwise have the potential to erode public confidence in the institutions of government and give rise to public disquiet,” they said.

According to The Straits Times, Ng was sentenced to one year, three months and four weeks’ jail for corruption offences in October 2025 in relation to the case.

He reportedly received more than S$67,000 in bribes from other vendors, including Song, engaged to carry out various projects at SJI.

A former Republic of Singapore Navy chef and his army captain ex-boyfriend arranged to meet and sexually abuse a then 15-year-old victim in a Punggol carpark.

On Sep. 22, 26-year-old Singaporean Owen Toh Wei Song was sentenced to 12 months' jail after pleading guilty to a charge of sexual penetration of a minor.

Two other charges — one under the same provision and another for filming the act — were taken into consideration for sentencing.

His ex-boyfriend, Chaw Chia Jun, 41, also known as Jim, is set to plead guilty on Oct. 10, 2026, with his bail extended.

In response to Mothership's queries, a MINDEF spokesperson said the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) "holds its service personnel to high standards of discipline and integrity".

"Service personnel who commit offences will be dealt with in accordance with the law."

MINDEF added that Toh was suspended from all duties following his arrest in 2024, was subsequently released from regular service, and is no longer with the SAF.

Mothership understands that Chaw is also no longer in the employ of the SAF.

Met on online forum

Around April 2024, the secondary four student searched for ways to make friends online.

He was directed to a website that described itself as an online forum intended for mature Singaporean gay men.

According to court documents, the victim browsed through profiles on the forum and selected Toh's.

The profile contained a link to Toh's Telegram profile, and the victim initiated contact.

Asked for personal particulars in early conversations

In their early conversations on Telegram, Toh asked the victim for his personal particulars, including his age.

Toh found out that the victim was a secondary school student about to sit for his N-Level examinations later that year.

Court documents said that the accused did not ask the victim to produce identification, nor did he take steps to independently verify his age.

Their conversations then switched to sexual topics.

The victim told the accused that he was interested in bondage and blindfolding and was keen to explore it.

Toh said he was not experienced in that area but knew his ex-boyfriend, Chaw, was.

The two men had been in a relationship for about one year between 2021 and 2022, but remained in contact after their breakup.

Toh asked the victim if he was comfortable meeting Chaw, and the victim agreed.

Subsequently, Toh messaged Chaw and told him about the boy's interests.

He also told the boy that Chaw was 32 years old.

Caressed victim's thighs

Toh then arranged a meeting date between all three.

Sometime before Jun. 5, 2024, Chaw drove to Yio Chu Kang MRT station, where he picked up Toh and the victim.

While Chaw was driving, he caressed the victim's thighs.

Chaw parked at the uppermost deck of a multi-storey carpark in Punggol where there were no other vehicles and no one else in the vicinity.

They alighted from the car, and Chaw told the victim to strip fully naked.

Court documents stated that the victim did so in the open, appearing nervous and shivering slightly.

Toh performed a sex act on the victim while Chaw filmed the act on his phone.

When Chaw asked the victim to do the same to him, the victim declined.

More sex acts ensued, including between Chaw and the victim, before they returned to Chaw's car.

A few days later, Toh asked Chaw for a copy of the recording; Chaw sent the recording over, and Toh saved it to his desktop computer.

Report filed

On Oct. 23, 2024, at around 12:13am, the victim lodged a police report at his neighbourhood police centre.

This happened after his mother and sisters grew concerned over his behaviour and the gifts he'd received from an adult man.

They confronted him, and the victim admitted what had happened.

Investigations led to the arrests of Toh and Chaw.

Toh was arrested on Oct. 25, 2024, and he was released on bail the same day.

He was charged in court on May 25, 2026.

Prosecution's address

The prosecution sought a sentence of 14 to 16 months' imprisonment against Toh, citing the victim's vulnerability arising from his age and situational circumstances.

Court documents also acknowledged the fact that the offender acted together with Chaw in committing the offence.

The offence also involved "gratuitous degradation" as the acts were committed in the open, immediately outside the car and filmed.

The prosecution also argued that the boy had been visibly nervous while the sex acts were being performed, yet Toh did not desist.

According to CNA, Toh's lawyers sought not more than 10 months' imprisonment, stating that it was the victim who went online, contacted Toh and expressed interest in exploring the sexual acts.

The lawyers also asserted that their client's offences were restricted to this one encounter.

An offender faces up to 10 years' jail, a fine, or both for causing a minor below 16 to perform sexual penetration.

A 57-year-old woman was found dead in her home in Ang Mo Kio after neighbours reportedly noticed flies and a smell outside her flat.

In response to Mothership’s queries, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said they received a call for assistance at Block 464 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 at about 10:50am.

The woman was found lying motionless in a residential unit and was confirmed dead at the scene.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Strong odour outside flat

A neighbour, Zhuo (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that he and his family noticed a strong odour two to three days before the incident and attributed it to a dead rat.

Zhuo said his 80-year-old mother found the unit’s door ajar on Sep. 23 when she went to exercise in the morning.

A foul smell emanted from inside the house, and flies were buzzing around.

His mother sensed something amiss and called the police, Zhuo told Shin Min.

The stench was apparently so strong that air fresheners could not cover up the smell.

Zhuo also revealed that the deceased had lived with her parents, but after both of them passed, she had been living alone ever since.

Second death at Ang Mo Kio in three days

Just two days earlier, a 72-year-old man was found lying motionless in a residential unit at Block 530 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Responding to queries from Mothership, the police said they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at the location on Sep. 21, 2026.

The elderly man was reportedly living alone and was only discovered after neighbours spotted blood seeping out from under the main gate into the common walkway.

An automatic mahjong table is suspected to have caused a fire at a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Ang Mo Kio on Sep. 22, leaving the homeowner's children trapped in the unit.

About 20 people evacuated

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at about 10:45am at Block 254 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4.

Upon its arrival, black smoke was seen emitting from the living room of a seventh-floor unit.

The fire, which involved items in the living room, was extinguished with a water jet.

Two people were found in the bedrooms during firefighting operations and were assisted out by SCDF personnel.

They were assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital.

About 20 residents from the block were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precaution.

An SCDF firefighter was also assessed for heat exhaustion and conveyed to Woodlands Hospital, similarly as a precaution.

He was subsequently discharged on the same day.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Automatic mahjong table suspected to have caught fire

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the owner of the affected unit, surnamed Zhuang (transliteration), said the fire was suspected to have originated from an automatic mahjong table in the living room.

His family of five lives in the unit.

Zhuang, 51, bought the table from a mall about a year ago for more than S$800.

However, the table was not plugged into a power socket at the time of the fire and did not run on batteries, he said, adding that he was unsure how it had caught fire.

Zhuang said the living room and master bedroom sustained extensive fire damage, and the family is currently staying in temporary accommodation arranged by HDB.

Renovation works are expected to take about four months, and the family hopes to return home before Chinese New Year next year.

A neighbour living directly below the affected unit, surnamed Huang, told Shin Min that he rushed upstairs after noticing the fire to check on the situation and alert other residents.

Huang added that he saw the fire raging from outside the unit.

According to his account, the window shattered from the heat, after which a gust of wind caused the flames to flare up and spread.

Another neighbour called Zhuang to inform him about the fire.

"About five to seven minutes later, [Zhuang] rushed back and tried to open the door. However, the fire in the living room was too intense and we could not get in at all. Fortunately, SCDF arrived at that moment so we left the rescue operation to them," Huang said.

Two stuck in the flat

Zhuang told Shin Min that his two children who were in the flat at the time were his eldest daughter, 21, and son, 18.

Fortunately, neither sustained serious injuries.

They were taken to hospital for observation and were expected to be discharged on Sep. 23.

Zhuang added that his son missed one of his A-Level papers on the morning of Sep. 23 as he had to remain in hospital for observation.

"I feel that the most important thing right now is to focus on his emotional and mental well-being. Whether or not he takes the exam is less important," he said.

MP visited affected residents

Kebun Baru Member of Parliament Henry Kwek also visited the affected residents.

In a Facebook post on Sep. 22, Mr Kwek thanked SCDF and police officers who responded to the incident, as well as HDB and Ang Mo Kio Town Council staff for their quick assistance to the affected family.

He also reminded residents to take note of basic fire safety measures at home, particularly when cooking or using sources of heat.

Improper wiring could increase risk of electrical faults

The technical director of electrical service company Power Electrical told Shin Min that automatic mahjong tables contain internal motors and electrical components, and that improper wiring, high power consumption, or poor product quality could all potentially pose a fire hazard.

He noted that automatic mahjong tables sold in Singapore are commonly manufactured in Japan or China.

Some Chinese-made models operate at 230V, while Japanese-made models typically use a lower voltage.

As these differ from Singapore’s local voltage specifications, extra care is needed when using them, he said.

He also cautioned that even when the automatic mahjong table is not switched on, leaving it plugged into the power supply could still result in a fire if there is a problem with the electrical circuit.