Cases involving eight public service officers have been referred to the police as the Singapore government reviews property purchases made by officers involved in rail planning, following allegations raised in a study.

The study was a working paper by the American non-profit National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), which claimed to have identified a pattern of mid-level Singapore civil servants purchasing homes near MRT stations before their locations were publicly announced.

8 public officers referred to police

Speaking in Parliament on Oct. 6, 2026, Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing said the government has reviewed property transactions involving 191 officers so far, with further checks ongoing.

For each transaction, Singapore's Public Service Division (PSD) examined available records, including the officer’s role at the time, whether the officer had access to relevant non-public information, the timing and circumstances of the transaction, and other relevant information.

Eight cases have been referred to the police.

However, Chan quickly clarified that the referrals do not mean wrongdoing has been established.

"The police will look into the facts independently, and due process will be followed," he said.

Safeguards against misuse of information

In response to questions from MPs regarding the safeguards against misuse of non-public government information, Chan said the public service code of conduct sets out that officers must never use information obtained through their official duties to advance their own private interests or those of others.

The unauthorised use or disclosure of official information may also constitute an offence, depending on the circumstances, he said.

There are also several layers of safeguards in place.

First, access to sensitive information is controlled, with officers given access on a need-to-know basis, said Chan.

Such information is subject to security classification and handling requirements, system and physical access controls, as well as audit monitoring and other project- or department-specific safeguards where appropriate.

Chan added that there are also declaration and approval requirements governing officers' personal interests and transactions.

Since the 1990s, all officers have been required to declare purchases of private property, as well as any non-owner-occupied properties they hold.

These requirements have been progressively tightened over the years.

When officers possess non-public information relevant to a transaction they intend to make, they must seek approval from the head of their agency before proceeding.

This requirement is not limited to property transactions

It also applies to other personal transactions where an officer possesses relevant non-public information.

The requirements also extend to transactions involving officers’ spouses and financially dependent children.

Agencies that handle particularly sensitive information can also impose additional requirements based on the risks involved, Chan said.

He cited the Singapore Land Authority as an example, noting that it requires officers in the relevant department to declare to human resources any sale of property or land by themselves, their spouses, or financially dependent children.

This supplements the existing requirement for all public officers to declare purchases of private property.

Review of safeguards

According to Chan, the government would assess what the current review reveals about the effectiveness of the existing safeguards and whether there are gaps that need to be addressed.

"Any further measures should be proportionate to the risk and practical to implement, while allowing legitimate personal transactions to proceed with appropriate oversight," he said.

However, he noted that even with strong safeguards in place, no system can eliminate the possibility of wrongdoing entirely.

"We must therefore continue to reduce the opportunities for abuse, maintain effective means of detection, and act firmly where evidence of wrongdoing emerges," he said.

"Where the facts disclose grounds for concern, we will refer them to the appropriate authorities.

Where wrongdoing is established, we will act firmly.

We will also learn from this episode.

If the review or subsequent investigation reveals gaps in our safeguards, we will strengthen them."

"This is how we will continue to uphold the high standards of integrity expected of our Singapore public service, and maintain the trust that Singaporeans place on us," Chan said.

Findings of the review will be published where relevant

In response to Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Alex Yam's question on how long the review will take and if the government plans to release its report, Chan said they aim to complete the review as soon as possible.

"If there are findings pertinent to (the matter), if there are findings that are relevant, we will publish them in full," he said.

Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Elysa Chen also asked if the government had identified other avenues through which public officers could make investments using sensitive government information, and whether measures were in place to detect potential breaches.

Chan said the government takes the same approach to all transactions involving sensitive information: Public officers should not use non-public information for personal gain.

This applies whether they are financial transactions, property transactions, or otherwise.

He added that the NBER working paper had made certain assertions based on a statistical association.

"At this point in time, we have not concluded whether any wrongdoing or especially any criminal offences have been committed," he said.

Greater weight should be given to deterrence when sentencing young offenders involved in scam-related offences, rather than treating rehabilitation as the primary consideration because of their age, said K Shanmugam, who is Senior Minister, Minister for Home Affairs and Coordinating Minister for National Security. 

Speaking in Parliament on Oct. 6, 2026, Shanmugam said scams are now the most prevalent crime type in Singapore, with more than 1,000 young people investigated in connection with scam reports in 2025.

He noted that while young offenders may warrant greater consideration for rehabilitation, he said this must be balanced against the impact of scams on victims, particularly elderly victims.

More than 5,000 elderly people were victims of scams in 2025, with losses from these cases amounting to about S$200 million, he said.

Most important principal is deterrence: Shanmugam

Shanmugam said deterrence was the most important sentencing principle for scam-related offences.

"There are two aspects to this," he said. "First, to deter the person from doing it again, and second, to deter everyone else from doing it, then fewer people will lose their life savings."

He acknowledged that young people generally deserve greater emphasis on rehabilitation, but said the government had made a deliberate policy decision that deterrence and prevention should carry greater weight in scam-related cases.

"This is because rehabilitation of the individual offender has to be balanced against the need to deter others from facilitating scams and thereby prevent many more people from becoming victims," he explained.

Shanmugam noted that current sentencing guidelines recommend imprisonment or reformative training for offenders convicted of scam-related offences, including those below 21, except those dealt with in the youth courts.

Though the progressive implementation of measures over the past three years have seen a decline in scam losses, scammers have continued to adapt and find ways around existing measures.

"So this is certainly not the time to go soft," Shanmugam said.

Young offenders still have to be held responsible

Shanmugam added that while an offender’s age remained relevant, individuals had to be held responsible, particularly when they understood that their actions were wrong.

He cited the case of an 18-year-old who was offered S$800 to open and hand over a bank account.

Another account was subsequently opened using the details, and a 66-year-old scam victim transferred almost S$200,000 into it.

The High Court had ultimately decided that probation was an appropriate sentence for the teenager.

The ruling was made by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Justice Ang Cheng Hock and Justice Hoo Sheau Peng, who had allowed four young offenders successful appeals, and ordered probation instead of the original reformative training.

Quoting the decision, Shanmugam said that this was because, among other reasons, that "the primary sentencing consideration for young offenders will generally or presumptively be rehabilitation".

But he continued: "This rationale by the High Court contradicts the approach set out in their sentencing advisory guidelines."

"It is understandable for the court... looking at the individual young offenders in front of them, to feel sympathy for those individuals, and be inclined to impose rehabilitative sentences on youth offenders," he said.

"However, the court did not have before it the policy perspectives that I've just laid out, nor the data on the scale of the problem of scams and scammers, the huge amount of losses through scams, and the full human cost of such scams, but the government has to consider the wider consequences."

For one, if Singapore is lenient towards scammers and those who facilitate scams, many more will fall victim, including senior citizens who may lose their entire life savings, the senior minister said.

If young offenders are treated more leniently simply because of their age, scam syndicates could also have greater incentive to recruit young people as money mules.

"We cannot and will not allow this to happen," he emphasised.

Shanmugam said the government respected the court’s views but would give effect to the policy position he had outlined.

"[...] We will table legislation in Parliament soon," he continued.

Caning introduced for scam offences in late 2025

In November 2025, the government introduced caning for scammers and scam mules as a penalty under the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill.

People convicted of committing scams can be sentenced to at least six strokes of the cane.

Members of and recruiters for organised criminal groups can also face at least six strokes if they knew the group was a scam syndicate.

To deny scammers the tools that enable them to carry out and profit from scams, money mules who facilitate scams can also face discretionary caning.

A 61-year-old man has been sentenced to three weeks in jail after using a spare key to enter his female tenant's room twice while she was abroad and engaged in indecent acts with her underwear.

A surveillance camera that the tenant had placed inside the room after she grew uncomfortable with his previous behaviour captured his actions.

The man is a Filipino national and a Singapore permanent resident who lived in an HDB flat with his wife and daughter, reported Shin Min Daily News.

He faced five charges, including trespassing, outrage of modesty, and mischief.

He pleaded guilty to two of them, with the remaining charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

There is a gag order placed on the victim, a 47-year-old Filipino woman, to protect her identity.

Entered her room twice

The victim was reportedly away in her home country from Jul. 22 to Aug. 19, 2024.

Having previously felt uncomfortable with the defendant's behaviour, she had installed a surveillance camera under her bed before leaving.

Upon learning that the victim was away, the landlord used a key to unlock her room at 5:53pm on Aug. 3, 2024.

He then took a set of underwear from her wardrobe and reportedly masturbated in the room.

The victim was shocked upon viewing the footage on the camera remotely and asked a colleague to move the camera onto the table the next day, Shin Min reported.

About two weeks later, on Aug. 17, the landlord was aroused after watching pornography and trespassed into the victim's room again.

There, he sniffed her underwear and masturbated.

This was also captured on camera.

Upon returning to Singapore on Aug. 19, the victim immediately set about looking for a new place to live and moved out on Sep. 20.

She filed a police report the following day.

Close to 13,000 travellers and 350 vehicles were checked, and over 14,000 pieces of luggage and hand-carry bags were scanned or searched during a multi-agency enforcement operation across Singapore’s land, air, and sea checkpoints between Sep. 22 and 28, 2026.

The operation was conducted by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Singapore Customs (Customs) as part of ongoing efforts to detect and enforce against non-compliance with Singapore’s cross-border cash reporting and other illegal cross-border activities.

During the week-long operation, enhanced checks were conducted on travellers and vehicles at the checkpoints.

Carrying cash exceeding S$20,000

Seven travellers were detected carrying cash exceeding S$20,000 or its equivalent in foreign currencies into Singapore without making the required declarations:

On Sep. 22, a 46-year-old male foreign traveller attempted to bring S$31,000 into Singapore without declaration.

On Sep. 23, a 40-year-old female foreign traveller attempted to bring approximately S$51,000 into Singapore without declaration.

On Sep. 27, a 44-year-old male foreign traveller attempted to bring approximately S$23,800 into Singapore without declaration.

On Sep. 28, four travellers attempted to bring in cash totalling approximately S$96,400 into Singapore.

Two 41-year-old male foreign travellers carrying S$30,000 and S$20,400 respectively, and a 51-year-old female traveller and a 52-year-old male foreign traveller carrying approximately S$46,000 collectively.

Warnings and fines issued

Of these seven travellers, two were issued notices of warning, and three were issued composition fines amounting to S$13,000 in total.

The remaining two travellers had their cash seized for further investigations.

Members of the public are reminded that it is a statutory requirement to report the cross-border physical movement of cash or bearer negotiable instruments if the total value exceeds S$20,000.

The money in foreign currency must also be declared.

Travellers must submit a declaration electronically within 72 hours before entering or leaving Singapore through the MyICA mobile app or via ICA’s website.

Failure to report or to accurately report the movement of cash or bearer negotiable instruments exceeding S$20,000 is an offence punishable under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992.

Offenders are liable to be fined up to S$50,000 or imprisoned for a term of up to three years, or both.

A confiscation order may also be issued for any part of the cash, in relation to which the offence was committed.

Other travellers caught

A total of 60 travellers were caught for failing to declare and pay taxes on cigarettes and/or tobacco products, liquors exceeding their duty-free concession, and goods exceeding their Goods and Services Tax (GST) import relief.

The total duty and GST evaded amounted to S$7,810 and S$17,705 in composition sums were imposed.

The cases included a traveller carrying multiple packages of mooncakes, two boxes of birthday cakes, and a money bouquet intended for commercial purposes.

The traveller was stopped at Tuas Checkpoint.

Another traveller was stopped at Changi Airport with undeclared luxury bags for personal use.

A third traveller had undeclared jewellery for personal use.

All offences were compounded.

Under the Customs Act, any person found guilty of fraudulent evasion of duty or GST shall be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded.

In addition to the fine, offenders shall be liable to imprisonment for up to 12 months.

Advisory

Travellers are encouraged to declare and make payment for such goods up to three days before arrival using the Customs@SG Web Application, which is also available on the MyICA mobile app.

Travellers may also use the Customs Declaration Kiosks located at the air, land and sea checkpoints and terminals, to declare and make payment for their goods on arrival.

All cigarettes and tobacco products must comply with the standardised packaging requirements.

Non-compliant products will be disposed of at the checkpoints.

The North-South Corridor (NSC) is "one of the most complex road projects we have undertaken in Singapore", said Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow.

But it is also necessary to improve connectivity between the north and the city, in particular to support new towns such as those in Sembawang, Woodlands, and Yishun.

"I know these benefits are still some years away, and therefore cold comfort to the families and business owners living with the construction today," Siow said.

He added that the government would do "everything in [its] power" to ease friction on the ground, including prioritising surface works to cut down on noise and dust for residents.

Reason for delays

On Sep. 17, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that the NSC would have its completion timeline moved back to 2029 instead of 2027.

It attributed the delay to "significant construction challenges".

In response to questions by Members of Parliament (MPs), Siow elaborated on the reasons for the delays in a parliamentary speech on Oct. 6.

"It passes through densely built-up areas, including homes and older buildings, and bypasses major utilities, heavily used roads, and even MRT lines," he said.

In some places, they have had to tunnel "less than one metre" away from the MRT lines.

In addition, as excavations progressed, it turned out that the actual conditions were more difficult than what soil investigations had earlier indicated.

Not safe to compress timeline further

After encountering the obstacles, LTA deployed additional manpower and equipment, adjusted construction methods, and changed the sequence of works where possible.

But trying to compress the programme further would have led to "significant additional safety risks", Siow said.

However, he emphasised that the government will not leave businesses and residents to fend for themselves.

To address complaints such as dust and noise, LTA will prioritise completing surface works so they improve from next year.

Most major structural works that create the most dust and noise will be completed by end-2027, and LTA will begin to reinstate roads, footpaths, and other affected spaces from 2028.

As for businesses which have had their customer traffic affected by changes to pedestrian routes or road access, LTA has installed signs and banners to help guide customers amid disruptions.

He added:

"When surface works are completed, many access routes for pedestrians will be restored as a priority.

In the meantime, LTA will also try to introduce more direct walking routes to shops and F&B establishments to make it easier for customers to reach these businesses."

No financial support as general principle

Siow also responded to questions from MPs about whether additional financial support could be given to affected businesses and residents.

Several businesses in HDB rental shops most affected by the construction works have already been receiving rental rebates on a case-by-case basis, which will continue where there are grounds to do so, he said.

But as a general principle, the government does not compensate stakeholders for project delays, as these would add "significant costs" to these projects.

Previously, CNA reported that some businesses, particularly in the Novena area, have seen declines in traffic of up to 75 per cent amid the ongoing construction.

Two digital cameras worth a total of S$393 were allegedly stolen from Digicam Diaries at 36 Haji Lane at around 7:40pm on Oct. 4.

The shop had initially posted CCTV footage on social media of the incident. Footage included a girl and boy entering the shop, and the back view of the girl in the area where the aforementioned cameras were.

Digicam Diaries said several people, whom it described as the girl’s schoolmates, identified the girl from the footage and provided her contact number.

The girl has since paid for both cameras via PayNow.

Discovered during closing inventory count

Speaking to Mothership, a Digicam Diaries spokesperson said its staff first noticed the cameras were missing at around 8pm while conducting their closing inventory count.

The shop said its team counts the cameras before and after each shift. That evening, two were unaccounted for: a pink Sony Cyber-shot T77 priced at S$208 and a white Panasonic Lumix XS1 priced at S$185.

Digicam Diaries' staff went on to review the store's CCTV footage to establish what had happened.

Alleged thief identified by schoolmates

Digicam Diaries posted clips of the alleged theft on their social media accounts, asking the involved individuals to come forward and make amends.

Following the shop’s online appeal, several people whom the spokesperson described as the girl’s schoolmates identified her and provided her contact number.

The shop said the girl initially denied taking the cameras and claimed their price tags showed lower amounts than the prices the shop had set.

She subsequently paid the shop for the cameras via PayNow, the spokesperson said.

Police report lodged that night

Digicam Diaries said it lodged a police report at around 10pm on Oct. 4.

According to the shop, an officer responded promptly and remained in contact with its team until midnight.

The spokesperson added that police had advised them to take down the CCTV video from their social media pages while investigations were ongoing.

The police confirmed with Mothership that a report had been lodged and investigations are ongoing.

Shop urges people not to shoplift

Digicam Diaries said they had experienced shoplifting before but always caught it due to their "meticulous inventory log".

The shop urged people not to shoplift, particularly from small businesses.

“Shoplifting really harms small businesses,” it said, adding that it was also concerned about the impact such incidents could have on the futures of the young people involved.

Cadillac Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas is cycling from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore.

The 37-year-old Finnish driver is travelling roughly 350km between Sepang International Circuit and Singapore on a gravel race bicycle.

According to a team spokesperson for Cadillac, Bottas would take about three days to complete the ride, Reuters reported.

At one point, a video he posted on Instagram story showed him cycling through a dirt track at about 2am.

His "Malaysia to Singapore Day 1" activity showed that he finished 56.6km in 128 minutes, at an average speed of 28km/h.

Bottas is known to be an avid cyclist.

He retired early at the Bahrain Grand Prix held at Sepang on Oct. 4 after he spun into the gravel on a wet track.

A wild Bottas spotted

People in Malaysia have spotted the F1 driver in public.

Bottas and another rider were seen in Melaka at about 6pm on Monday, Oct. 5, about 245km from Singapore.

Bottas' Australian partner Tiffany Cromwell is a professional road and gravel cyclist.

Practice for the Singapore race starts on Oct. 9, with media commitments on Oct. 8.

A resale five-room Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) flat in Bishan sold for S$1.71 million in October 2026, setting a record resale price for this flat type in the estate.

A similar unit located between 31 and 33 floors was sold for S$1.6 million in September 2026, according to the Housing and Development Board (HDB) website for checking resale flat prices.

High-floor flat

The 1,292 sq ft unit at Block 273A Bishan Street 24 is at Natura Loft.

The flat is located between the 37th and 39th floors.

The unit's resale price translates to a S$1,324 psf price.

Previously, the record for the estate was a similar-sized unit at Block 275A between the 34th and 36th floors that transacted for S$1.63 million (S$1,263 psf) when it was sold in November 2025, according to Stacked Homes.

Natura Loft, which has blocks that reach 40 storeys, is the only DBSS project in Bishan, it was also reported.

There are 480 units in total.

Block 273A has 160 flats, comprising four- and five-room flats.

Natura Loft was completed in 2011.

It has more than 83 years left on its lease.

Its price could be due to the limited number of four-room and five-room flats in Bishan entering the market, the price analysis on Stacked Homes suggested.

Singapore's most expensive resale flat on record is a five-room unit in Bukit Merah that sold for S$1.728 million in April 2026.

HDB flats with very high resale prices 'a minority'

In an April 2026 parliamentary reply, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said about 6 per cent of resale flats transacted above S$1 million in 2025.

Based on the flash estimate for the first quarter of 2026, resale prices declined slightly by 0.1 per cent.

MND added that the resale market continues to provide a wide range of flats at different price points, catering to different budgets and needs.

In 2025, there were four-room resale flats with leases of 70 years or longer in Tampines and Punggol going for around S$650,000 to S$700,000.

In Sembawang and Yishun, such flats were available below S$600,000, MND added, while in Jurong West and Woodlands, there were options below S$550,000.

Eligible first-time resale buyers can get housing grants of up to S$230,000, further reducing the amounts they need to pay, MND said.

Previously, at a media briefing on Aug. 20, 2024, then-National Development Minister Desmond Lee shared that HDB flats with very high resale prices make up "a very small proportion of all transactions", even though record HDB resale prices have frequently made headlines.

Lee added at the time that such transactions made up only 0.5 per cent of all four-room or smaller flats transacted in the last two years, are very central, and are well served by transport connectivity and comprehensive amenities.

Lee noted that more than half of them are also located on very high floors, above 30 storeys, and have good views.

However, they have caused Singaporeans to be concerned about "the affordability of resale flats as a whole":

"Flat sellers who are reading such news raise their expectations about how much the flat could bring, while flat buyers become anxious to secure flats before prices get higher.

If we are not careful, such market dynamics can cause the resale market to run out of line with economic fundamentals and cause a bubble."

Lee also noted then that flats that cross the million-dollar mark made up about 2 per cent of all resale transactions over the last 1.5 years at the time.

Top image Google Maps

OldTown White Coffee will close its last Singapore outlet in Kallang Wave Mall.

Its last day of operations is on Oct. 11, 2026.

The restaurant chain serves Malaysian cuisine.

"After more than 12 years of serving our valued customers at OldTown Kallang Wave, we would like to announce the permanent closure of our outlet," OldTown White Coffee said in an Oct. 2 Facebook post.

OldTown White Coffee told The Straits Times that the closure was due to "the landlord's decision not to renew our lease at the current location" and being "unable to reach a mutual agreement for an extension".

Kallang Wave Mall is part of The Kallang.

OldTown White Coffee had outlets in Farrer Park, East Coast and Novena.

It also said it did not rule out returning to Singapore in the future.

Two large slabs of raw pork were photographed lying on the ground at Block 216 Bedok North Street 1 wet market.

The photos were shared on the SG Dirty Fella Facebook group on Oct. 2, along with a caption: "Thawing meat on the floor?!?!?! Buy at your own risk!"

The meat was resting in front of a large chest freezer.

The stall owner, surnamed Fang (transliteration), admitted to Shin Min Daily News that the meat was on the ground, but claimed that it had slid down accidentally from the top of the freezer.

"If the authorities want to fine me, I will accept it," he added.

Washed it the next morning

In the photos, the wet market appeared empty and was outside of operating hours.

Some commenters questioned the hygiene at the stall, with one saying that the stall needs to "use soap to wash the meat before cooking".

The 64-year-old stall owner repeatedly emphasised that he did not place the pork on the ground intentionally, and that he usually kept raw meat inside the freezer.

"That day, an employee placed the pork on top of the freezer, and somehow it fell on the ground," he said. "When I saw it the next morning, I rushed to wash it clean with water. It was really not intentional."

He had initially thought of it as a small matter, and did not expect it to be photographed and posted online.

He added: "These few days, customers have been asking about it, and I had to explain what happened to each of them."

He added that he would be more careful in the future to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Reactions from the public

The incident drew a mixed response from patrons.

Two women separately told Shin Min that they would be all right with it as long as the ground where the meat had fallen was not too dirty.

One felt that it would be a waste if the pork was thrown away.

"I would have to cook the meat at home anyway, so I don't really mind," the other woman said.

However, a third woman objected to it, pointing out that the ground is likely to have germs that cannot be completely removed even after the meat is washed.

"It's best to cut away the part of the pork that touched the ground directly, so that everyone can eat it with a peace of mind," she said.