News
S'porean man, 29, starts 4 fires near HDB rubbish chute to allegedly frame person he owed money to
The nearby walls, lights, water pipes, and more were damaged as a result.
February 10, 2026, 03:18 PM
A Singaporean man has been sentenced to 15 weeks in jail after he set fire to several items near a rubbish chute in his HDB block, causing damage to the wall, water pipes, and more.
Kirtan Sukumaran, 29, did so on four occasions from Nov. 4 to 6, 2024, according to court documents seen by Mothership.
After he was arrested on Nov. 6, he told the police that he had started the fires because of stress, and because he wanted to frame someone who had been chasing him for a debt.
He faced four charges of committing mischief by fire that caused wrongful loss to the public, and was sentenced on Feb. 6.
The fires
The four incidents happened near a rubbish chute in a common corridor on the 16th floor of Edgefield Plains, where Kirtan was living at the time.
Around 10pm on Nov. 4, 2024, he used a lighter to set some plastic bags near the rubbish chute on fire.
Image from court documents
The next day, he similarly lit a mattress on fire around 1pm, then did so to some more plastic bags around 7pm.
Then, around 2:15am on Nov. 6, he was the common corridor again when he spotted a cloth bag, two long boards, and a guitar, a short distance from another resident’s unit.
He lit the cloth bag on fire, which also damaged the other items beside it.
The first and last fires were put out after a passerby spotted them and called for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
The damage
As a result of the four fires Kirtan started, the wall, ceiling, lights, wiring, water pipe, and stopcock near the common rubbish chute were damaged.
The total cost of repairs incurred was S$260.82.
On Jan. 12, 2026, Kirtan made compensation for this amount in full.
Sentencing
The prosecutor sought a global sentence of 16 to 20 weeks in jail.
He argued that Kirtan caused four fires in quick succession, demonstrating a brazen persistence.
As the fire on Nov. 6, 2024, was not far from another resident’s unit, it could have potentially caused harm to the residents as well if it had lasted longer, he added.
The prosecutor also highlighted that although Kirtan made restitution, he did so belatedly.
After Kirtan's first appearance in court on Nov. 8, 2024, he was remanded in the Institute of Mental Health.
He was released on bail on Nov. 22, 2024, and remained on bail until his sentencing on Feb. 6.
Top images from court documents
