On May 11, 28-year-old Heng Jun Hao, a Certis auxiliary officer, was charged with unlawfully carrying a firearm.

Manhunt

Heng was charged with unlawfully carrying a firearm, a Taurus revolver loaded with five rounds, between 8pm on May 9 and 12:21am on May 10.

He was also found to be carrying an additional five rounds in a speed loader.

Heng was arrested at the fifth floor of the Bugis + shopping mall along Victoria Street just after midnight, the result of a manhunt involving more than 100 officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, Central Police Division, Bedok Police Division, Airport Police Division, the Police Intelligence Department, and Special Operations Command.

Initial reports indicate that Heng was compliant during the arrest and did not draw his weapon, which had not been discharged.

No civilians were injured during his arrest, and all equipment issued to Heng was successfully recovered.

Remanded for medical examination

Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (DC) Zhang Weihan said after the arrest that "the man involved in the unlawful carrying of a firearm has demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law and abused the fire arms entrusted to him for his duties."

Heng had been issued the firearm for a 12-hour shift at Changi Airport, from 7.45am on May 9.

After completing his shift at 7:45pm, he failed to return his firearm, ammunition, and baton to the armoury, before changing out of his uniform and leaving the airport; triggering an alarm when the failure was noticed at around 8.30pm.

Heng has now been remanded at the Complex Medical Centre at Changi Prison for medical examination.

The offence of unlawful carrying of a firearm carries a punishment of between five and 14 years imprisonment, as well as at least six strokes of the cane.

A spokesperson for Certis said that Heng has been suspended from service, adding that Certis had put in place "stringent systems and processes to detect and deal with such incidents in a timely manner, including a warning system that triggers an alert when a firearm is not returned post-duty".

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Top image via Mothership & bugisjunctionxbugisplus/Instagram