Man, 21, to be charged for causing death by rash act after body of man, 33, found in S'pore River

The Singapore police arrested a 21-year-old man on Jul. 1 after Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) divers retrieved the body of a 33-year-old man from Singapore River waters near Clarke Quay on Jun. 30.

The older man was pronounced dead at the scene, said the Singapore Police Force in a Jul. 1 news release.

The 21-year-old will be charged in court on Jul. 2 for causing death by rash act.

If convicted, he could be jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.

What happened

Police said they received a call for assistance regarding a man who had fallen into the waters of the Singapore River on Jun. 30 at 10:15pm.

Divers from SCDF's Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) were deployed to perform an underwater search.

The body of the 33-year-old man was subsequently retrieved 3m from shore, at a depth of about 3m, SCDF told Mothership.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by a SCDF paramedic.

Lianhe Zaobao reported that it understands that the two men had been drinking and ended up in a dispute over a woman before the incident took place.

Rumours about how the deceased ended up in the water had also circulated on a social media post.

However, the post has been removed as of Jul. 1 morning.

Accused arrested on Jul. 1

Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras and CCTVs, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, Central Police Division, and Woodlands Police Division established the identity of the 21-year-old man, said the police.

They subsequently arrested him in relation to the incident, added the police.

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