S’pore PR allegedly used Geylang unit as brothel, landlord requests inspection, he disappears, leaving behind condoms & lube

Residents of an apartment complex in Geylang raised concerns after allegedly seeing multiple men entering and leaving a unit.

A woman would often be seen picking the men up from the ground floor and bringing them up, leading to concerns that the unit was being used as an illegal brothel.

The complaints led to the landlord requesting an inspection of the unit.

However, its tenant disappeared the next day.

Suspicions

According to Shin Min Daily News, the real estate agent who made the rental transaction at the Guillemard Road unit, 46-year-old Lim Yao Hui, said the tenant was a Singapore permanent resident in his 30s.

The tenant had been given the keys to the unit at the beginning of September. "There was nothing suspicious about it," said Lim.

However, about 10 days after the lease began, neighbours reported seeing a woman bringing people into the unit daily, mostly middle-aged men.

It was especially noticeable as she would have to bring them up in person due to a faulty intercom system.

Lim called the tenant directly to ask if illegal activities were being conducted in the unit, but the tenant denied it, Shin Min reported.

He also claimed that the male visitors were colleagues who were there to attend meetings, while the woman was a part-time cleaner he had engaged.

Lim found this suspicious as the men would leave one at a time, instead of as a group.

As there was no concrete evidence at the time, he and the landlord decided to continue observing the unit's activities.

Witnessed woman bringing men up

Later, a neighbour was able to film a woman bringing a man into the unit.

On Sep. 30, Lim and the landlord witnessed the same scene at the apartment.

He contacted the tenant again, informing him of the complaints and stating that he would inspect the unit on Oct. 2.

Lim said he was worried that something might happen to the tenant, so he called the police on the day of the inspection.

However, they found the apartment empty.

Condoms and lubricants found

A police report was made, and the tenant's one-year lease was terminated on suspicion that he was involved in illegal prostitution.

His deposit would also be forfeited, and he was required to return to retrieve his personal belongings.

The empty apartment was reportedly strewn with condoms and lubricants.

Two mattresses in the room were also covered in stains and had to be replaced.

Lim said it was the first time he had encountered such a situation, though it was apparently not uncommon, according to his colleagues.

He declined to comment on whether new tenants had moved into the unit, but reminded landlords to pay attention to tenants' behaviours when renting out property.

Signs can include tenants being in a hurry to rent the unit without asking for details, or insisting on paying the rental and deposit in cash, he said.