News
S'porean youth, 19, sets fire to pop-up booths in VivoCity & Harbourfront Centre, causing over S$27,000 in damages
After starting the fires, he stood nearby to watch the booths burn.
November 04, 2025, 12:08 PM
A Singaporean teen has been convicted for setting fire to two pop-up stores in VivoCity and another in Harbourfront Centre on Mar. 19.
Yogesh Pubalan Pubalan, 19, was walking around VivoCity around 11pm that night feeling upset and down, according to court documents seen by Mothership.
When he saw a Polo Ralph Lauren pop-up booth, he felt an urge to set it on fire, and did so with his lighter.
Ultimately, the furniture, equipment, and clothing that burned in all three pop-up booths resulted in damages valued at S$27,735.60 in total.
Yogesh faced three charges of committing mischief with an intent to cause destruction to property.
He pleaded guilty to two charges on Nov. 3, while the third will be taken into consideration for sentencing, The Straits Times reported.
What happened
The fire at the Polo Ralph Lauren pop-up booth in VivoCity happened at around 11:12pm, when the booth had already closed.
Yogesh first checked that there was no one around, then used his lighter to set fire to a black cloth covering the store's items.
The fire spread across the booth and damaged a large stone countertop, the vinyl flooring, and an embroidery customisation machine.
Yogesh stood nearby and observed the burning, which continued until passers-by put out the fire.
The fires to the next two booths started in the same way.
He lit a pop-up booth for sportswear brand Oh!Sunny in VivoCity on fire at around 11:20pm, damaging several items of clothing, clothes rack, and carpet for the booth.
He then walked over to Harbourfront Centre and set in flames the last booth, located in the main atrium of the mall, around 11:40pm.
The booth, which belonged to thrift store brand Refash, had 800 items of clothing damaged.
Again, the teen watched the fire spread, while passers-by later triggered the fire alarm to put out the fire.
He was arrested the next day, and was examined at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) soon after, on Mar. 24.
Suffering from depression
In a report, a doctor at IMH said that Yogesh suffered from major depressive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.
He was "likely in early relapse of his major depressive disorder at and around the time of his alleged offence", the doctor said, adding that Yogesh's disorders likely had a contributory link to his offences.
The doctor believed Yogesh's depressed state of mind at the time caused his judgement and self-control to be impaired, and his actions were a maladaptive coping mechanism.
At court on Nov. 3, the prosecution and judge both called for reports to assess his suitability for probation and mandatory treatment order.
The judge asked for opinions from the prosecution and defence on requesting a suitability report for reformative training, but Yogesh's lawyer said that such rehabilitation would not be suitable, ST reported.
As Yogesh has since made restitution of only S$1,200 for the damages he caused, the prosecution also called for him to pay the remaining S$26,535.60.
Yogesh's lawyer said that Yogesh did not commit the offences out of ill will, and that his family had been facing financial difficulties.
The sentencing will be heard in court on Jan. 19, 2026.
Top images from VivoCity's Facebook, Harbourfront Centre's Facebook, and Canva
