Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

The body of a 69-year-old man was found in Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, after the corpse began to decompose and a neighbouring wholesaler smelled the odour and spotted "foul-smelling liquid" flowing from the unit, Shin Min Daily News (SMDN) reported.

The body was discovered at 5:26pm on Oct. 9, at Block 10 of the wholesale centre.

According to his previous employer at the wholesale centre, the deceased was a vegetable wholesaler previously for about 20 years, and continued working for other wholesalers at the centre after shutting his business.

Wholesaler realised "unusual odour" and "foul-smelling liquid"

Speaking to Shin Min, a 60-year-old wholesaler said he realised an "unusual odour" at 11am on Oct. 9, and initially thought that it was from the corpse of a dead rodent.

He subsequently found "foul-smelling liquid" flowing from one of the units, and realised that it was something "unusual".

The wholesaler reportedly claimed that he notified the management before leaving the scene to go deliver his goods.

However, he said nothing was done by the time he returned at 4pm, which prompted him to call the police.

Subsequently, the police arrived at the scene to investigate and move the body.

Another wholesaler who occupies a unit along the same row of shops told Shin Min that the deceased usually slept in the warehouse and appeared to have some medical condition with his legs.

Speaking to Shin Min, the police said the man was found lying motionless in the unit, and had passed away due to natural causes.

"Lingering odour"

A 25-year-old wholesaler said he caught a whiff of the odour two days before the body was discovered, but was unsure of the origins of it, according to Shin Min.

It did not occur to him at the time that it was the odour of a decomposing body, until the police showed up at the scene two days later.

He reportedly claimed that he could still smell the odour two days after the body was discovered, and it took four days before a cleaning crew arrived to clean the scene on Oct. 13.

The management of the wholesale centre told Shin Min that they were waiting for the police to remove their cordon and had to seek permission from the family of the deceased man before proceeding with two rounds of cleaning.

Prayers at the unit

After the incident, individuals believed to be the family of the deceased were spotted burning joss paper at the scene, Shin Min reported.

Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre was one of the places which recorded a Covid-19 cluster, and was reportedly shut for three days before reopening on Sep. 30.

Upon reopening, the public were not allowed to enter the premises of the wholesale centre, and only wholesalers and "relevant parties" were allowed to enter, as per Shin Min.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News & Siang Hang Lim/Google Maps