Man in AMK estate digs hole in grass during 7th month, police shows up, turns out he's burying his dead turtle

A man was seen digging a hole in the grass patch with a hoe in an Ang Mo Kio housing estate on Sep. 2 at around 7pm.

His actions sparked the concern of passers-by, some of whom thought that he was holding an axe, which prompted them to make a police report.

Police cars and officers show upk

Citing one of their readers, surnamed Xu, Shin Min Daily News reported that several police cars and officers showed up at the open-air car park in front of Block 609 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4.

Xu said he was resting at home when he suddenly heard noises outside.

Looking out of his window, he noticed several police officers searching the area around a metal incense burner bin, seemingly looking for something.

"I didn't know exactly what happened, but I later heard from a neighbour that they saw a man walking around downstairs with an axe and it seemed like something serious had happened," Xu said.

In the photos he provided, several police officers were seen standing around the incense burner bin, with candles, joss sticks, and several boxes of items placed on the grass patch nearby.

Man seen digging on grass patch

When reporters visited the scene on Wednesday, one male resident said he saw a man digging a hole in the ground at around 6pm on Tuesday.

He said that since it was the Hungry Ghost Festival period, he did not dare to go up to the man and ask him questions.

"He was behaving strangely. He used a hoe to dig a hole in the grass and was also very meticulous, making sure that the hole he dug was square-shaped," the man explained.

"I thought he was performing some kind of ritual, so I didn't ask him anything. When I got home at around 8pm, I saw that the police had arrived but the man was gone."

The reporter observed that even though the hole in the grass patch had been filled in, it was obvious that the grass had been tampered with.

It was believed that the residents thought the man was behaving suspiciously, or mistakenly thought that he was holding a weapon, which was why they decided to make a police report.

Man was burying his turtle

The same male resident told Shin Min that after the police arrived at the scene, he stood along the corridor upstairs out of curiosity and continued to observe the situation.

He then noticed a turtle shell on the grass patch, which made him believe that the man was digging a hole in an attempt to bury his dead turtle.

He added that wildlife rescue workers soon arrived and took the turtle's carcass: "The pattern on the turtle's shell was very unique. I remember it very clearly as it didn't look like it belonged to a common species that could be found locally."

The joss sticks and candles in front of the incense burner bin were not left by the man, it was reported, but were Hungry Ghost Festival offerings placed there by another woman.

Burying animal carcasses in public is illegal

In an interview with Shin Min, a lawyer said digging a hole in the grass patch in a public housing estate to bury an animal carcass is an illegal act.

"Firstly, damaging public property is illegal. Secondly, the turtle carcass could cause environmental pollution and should not be disposed of carelessly," Zhong explained.

Under the Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Regulations, animal carcasses cannot be buried in public places.

However, pet owners living in private residences are allowed bury their pets' ashes in their own private garden.

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News