Bangladeshi man, 32, drove into Jit Poh building wall & tried to set himself on fire after passport misunderstanding

A Bangladeshi man attempted to self-immolate and burn down the Bangladeshi High Commission, all because he falsely believed his newly renewed passport had "issues" that would prevent his return to Singapore.

On May 23, 2025, 32-year-old Shamim Nazrul Islam crashed his rented lorry into the wall of the Jit Poh building in Keppel Road, which housed the Bangladeshi High Commission.

Shortly after, he stormed onto the fourth floor holding a lighter and a tin can filled with petrol, planning to burn himself if the High Commission did not agree to his demands.

Shamim was handed a 20-month jail sentence on Jan. 8, 2026, after pleading guilty to one charge of mischief and one count of mischief by fire.

Banged into Bangladeshi High Commission wall

According to court documents seen by Mothership, at around 9:38am on May 23, Shamim drove his rental lorry "rapidly and turned (without slowing down)" towards the loading bay of the Jit Poh building.

He "began barrelling" towards a wall adjacent to the loading bay where pedestrians stood before colliding with the wall and dislodging the lorry's front bumper.

After the crash, Shamim disembarked and entered the High Commission, causing a commotion.

The Straits Times reported that Shamim had compared his new passport with his friends' and was convinced that his was fake and went to the High Commission for clarity.

Shamim was worried that "there were problems with his passport preventing him from returning to Singapore if he went to Bangladesh", wrote the statement of facts.

Two staff members approached Shamim in succession, inspecting his passport and telling him that there were no issues as his passport's expiry date was in 2033.

However, court documents stated that Shamim "was upset over a self-perceived problem with his passport, and refused to accept the reasonable explanations by the High Commission staff."

Accused attempted to self-immolate

Still angry, the accused declared his intention to set himself on fire.

"At around 10am, the accused swiftly uncapped the tin can of petrol and started pouring petrol all over the High Commission floor (but not on himself) while also holding a lighter in the other hand."

The second staff member who attended to Shamim, realised the danger and immediately pushed him to stop him from igniting the fire.

Security officers outside the High Commission heard the commotion, rushed over and subdued Shamim till police arrived.

Shamim was arrested on the same day and produced in court a day later, on May 24, 2025.

He was not offered bail and remained in remand till his sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jini Pillai sought at least 24 months' jail for his acts of mischief

For the first charge of mischief, DPP Jini cited the "real risk of injury to pedestrians" when Shamim crashed his lorry into the wall.

Offenders can be imprisoned for up to two years, fined or both for mischief.

Shamim's second charge of mischief by fire, his threat to self-immolate, may have caused greater harm to the High Commission, its staff and the other occupants of the eight-storey building.

Mischief by fire carries a maximum jail term of up to 10 years, or a fine.

Top photo from Kaisher Faruk and Roman Ahmmed/Google Maps