Indonesian police arrested 197 people, including two Singaporeans, in a raid on an illegal casino in Batam.

The raid took place on Aug. 15 at Nine Stage Lounge and Bar at about 9:30 pm, according to Batam Today.

Officers surrounded the building

According to Shin Min Daily News, the operation involved dozens of armed officers surrounding the building, which was made up of around 20 shophouse units.

According to nearby residents, the ground floor had long housed arcade gaming machines, with the casino operating on the second and third floors.

Officers spent about three hours at the scene before concluding their investigations and escorting the suspects into police vehicles.

Three months of investigation

Deputy Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Indonesian National Police, Inspector General Nunung Syaifuddin, told Batam Today the raid was carried out following an in-depth investigation lasting two to three months, based on public reports of alleged gambling at the location.

He said investigators were still interrogating those who had been detained, including managers suspected of playing significant roles in the gambling operation.

Who was arrested

Of the 197 people detained, 96 were gamblers. 10 of those were foreigners: seven Chinese nationals, two Singaporeans and one Malaysian. The rest were Indonesian citizens.

The remaining 101 were the owner, two managers, five cashiers, one supervisor, 25 chip exchangers, 65 dealers and two marketing staff.

S$520,731 in three safes

Nunung said police seized three safes containing 7.29 billion Rupiah (S$520,731).

Police are investigating those arrested for organising illegal gambling, and are also examining whether money laundering was involved.

Those convicted of gambling offences face up to 15 years' jail.

A total of 81 suspected drug offenders were arrested in Singapore during an island-wide anti-drug operation from Aug. 17 to 21.

Areas covered during the operation included Toa Payoh, Telok Blangah and Punggol.

Drugs

Controlled drugs, including about 529g of "Ice", 375g of heroin, 27g of cannabis, 10g of ketamine, 10g of "Ecstasy", and 11 Erimin-5 tablets, were seized.

The seized drugs are estimated to be worth more than S$105,500.

The heroin, "Ice" and cannabis seized could potentially feed the addiction of 484 abusers for about a week.

Arrests

On Aug. 17, at about noon, Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers arrested a 38-year-old Singaporean man at a lift landing of a residential block in the vicinity of Punggol Field for alleged drug trafficking offences.

Officers then escorted him to his hideout in the same block, where they forced entry after the occupants refused to comply with lawful orders to open the door.

Officers also spotted objects being thrown out of the unit’s bedroom window, which were subsequently found to be drug paraphernalia.

The unit was searched.

A 40-year-old male foreign national, a 46-year-old Singaporean man, a 26-year-old Singaporean man, and a 36-year-old Singaporean woman were arrested for suspected drug trafficking offences.

A total of about 439g of "Ice", 300g of heroin, 22g of cannabis, 9g of ketamine, 10g of "Ecstasy" and one Erimin-5 tablet were recovered from various locations within the unit.

Officers subsequently escorted the 26-year-old man to his vehicle, where they recovered "Ice".

A 40-year-old woman later returned to the unit and was arrested for suspected drug trafficking offences.

Weapons were also found in the unit, including a dagger, knuckledusters, katanas, and knives.

The weapons were seized and handed over to the police.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Penalties

Under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1973, those found guilty of trafficking more than 15g of diamorphine or “pure heroin”, or more than 250g of methamphetamine can face the mandatory death penalty.

Investigations into the drug activities of all arrested suspects are ongoing.

A TikTok user praised a group of students from Beatty Secondary School after they returned a lost wallet to him with its contents intact.

They'd apparently tracked him down via the address shown on his National Registration Identity Card (NRIC), and made the trip down to deliver it to his door.

Found the wallet on a bus

In CCTV footage posted on TikTok, three male students were seen standing outside a flat.

They rang the doorbell and knocked on the door several times, but no one answered.

One of the students then noticed a camera outside the flat and suggested showing the wallet to whoever may be monitoring it.

"Can show (the wallet to) the camera, I think they're looking through the camera," he could be heard saying.

Another student, who was holding the wallet, then turned towards the camera and raised it.

"Your wallet right? Eh bro got everything inside. Your money also inside, I never steal. Don't worry. Come and take your wallet bro," he said.

A few seconds later, someone could be heard speaking to the students over the intercom, although the conversation was muffled.

The same student then explained that they had found the wallet on Bus 129 a few days earlier.

"After that we just follow your NRIC address, then we come here (to) try and give it to you," he said.

Earned praise online

In a caption accompanying the video, the TikTok user expressed gratitude to the students for returning it with its contents intact.

"I am incredibly grateful that you returned my lost wallet with everything intact. Your honesty and kindness mean more to me than you know," the caption read.

"You've restored my faith in the kindness of young people today. Thank you for doing the right thing."

The man added that the students’ actions also served as an example of responsible behaviour for their peers and the wider community.

Some netizens also praised the students in the comments, with some commending their upbringing.

A 31-year-old American woman was arrested after allegedly posing as a bank representative at a senior citizen’s home to obtain their debit card in Florida, United States.

She was also apparently found with US$3,200 (S$4,098.83) “lodged” in her vagina.

In a Facebook post on Aug. 19, the Martin County Sheriff's Office said that Moniquie Love Turnbull allegedly “attempted to pull off a brazen and dangerous scam”.

She purportedly claimed that the victim’s account was compromised and she would handle the appropriate disposal of the victim’s card.

Local police were then alerted to another case that identified Turnbull “as the possible suspect”.

The victims of Turnbull’s alleged actions were suspicious of the accused and lodged a police report before she left Martin County.

Pull over in vehicle

Bodycam and aerial footage dated Aug. 17 showed local police pulling Turnbull over in a vehicle.

She was handcuffed and told she was being arrested for “fraud”.

Turnbull replied before the video cut off: “What?”

She was charged with “Scheme to Defraud, Felony Use of a Two-Way Communication Device, and Fraudulent Use of a Credit or Debit Card Without Consent involving a victim 60 years or older”.

Money found in her private parts

In a subsequent post, local police said the cash was apparently found in Turnbull’s private parts when she entered jail.

“As part of her scam, Turnbull claimed she was from the bank but somehow failed to tell deputies she had a bank roll hidden in her private ATM,” the caption read.

The origins of the cash remain unclear, and local police seized it.

In the attached photos, the seized cash was marked with a "biohazard" sticker.

The cash will apparently be “back in public circulation”.

Turnbull faces additional charges, including introduction of contraband into a corrections facility.

She currently has a US$500,000 (S$640,442.13) bond.

A 56-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to 14 days’ jail and fined RM7,000 (S$2,191.67) for insulting Islam while travelling in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Mohamed Anim Atam pleaded guilty to a charge of deliberately intending to hurt the religious feelings of any person through words, sounds, or gestures, New Straits Times and Malay Mail reported.

He was ordered to serve the jail term from the date of his arrest on Aug. 18.

Ride

Anim reportedly made those remarks while travelling from Jalan Tun Razak to Jalan Meldrum in an e-hailing car on Jul. 30 at about 5pm.

In a video uploaded by the driver, Anim could be heard criticising Islam during the ride.

In the video, a voice could be heard speaking in Malay and English.

“These are all lies. I don't believe,” Anim said.

The driver could be heard cautioning the passenger not to make those remarks and mentioned that he was a Muslim.

The driver threatened to “kick” the passenger out of the vehicle at one point.

“If you have left the religion, there is no need to insult mine,” the driver said in Malay.

Anim could be heard apologising before presumably alighting.

A police report was lodged the following day on Jul. 31, it was reported.

Anim was subsequently arrested on Aug. 18, at about 4:15pm, at Sultan Iskandar Building along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, Bukit Chagar.

Local police also seized a mobile phone from him.

Security guard

The prosecution noted that Anim's remarks touched on highly sensitive issues involving race, religion, and royalty.

They added that Anim’s actions caused public outcry on social media.

Anim, who is a security guard in Singapore, appealed for a fine.

He reportedly cited his ongoing divorce proceedings and high blood pressure.

He pleaded for leniency.

For deliberately intending to hurt the religious feelings of any person through words, sounds, or gestures in Malaysia, Anim could have been jailed for a year, fined, or both.

Employees of a licensed debt collection company breached the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) on four occasions while attempting to recover an alleged private debt, including by shouting insults and threats at a debtor’s home and visiting her husband’s workplace.

The debt collectors also returned to the husband’s office to hand staff notices about the debt, even though the alleged debt was unrelated to his job.

Contravened POHA on four occasions

In the grounds of decision released on Aug. 19, Protection from Harassment Court Judge Gregory Gan said debt collectors could legally pursue debts, but their licences did not give them "carte blanche" to break the law.

He also acknowledged that while it is not necessary nor possible to draw up a comprehensive list of prohibited debt collection conduct, certain boundaries are clear.

"As a general rule, turning up at the alleged debtor’s home and shouting insults or abuse is impermissible. So is visiting the alleged debtor’s workplace to collect a private debt that has nothing to do with his or her work," he said.

The woman was ultimately granted a protection order against the debt collection company after its employees repeatedly visited her home and her husband’s workplace in December 2024 and January 2025.

The identities of the debt collection company, its employees, and the alleged debtor were redacted in the judgment.

Shouted at couple's home

The dispute began after the woman and her husband engaged two renovation contractors on Dec. 5, 2023.

On Nov. 25, 2024, the contractors engaged the licensed debt collection company to recover an alleged debt of S$102,937 from the couple.

The company then sent the couple a letter of demand stating that its "debt enforcement team" would personally call on them and visit their home if they failed to make payment within seven days.

The couple responded in writing on Dec. 1, 2024, disputing their liability.

Two days later, on Dec. 3, 2024, two employees of the debt collection company turned up at their home.

They rang the doorbell and shouted the names of the woman and her husband.

The woman called the police and spoke to one of the employees through the intercom.

The employee demanded that she pay the contractors and repeatedly hit the railing outside the main gate while shouting.

The woman subsequently went outside to explain why she was not making payment, but the two employees repeatedly interrupted her and continued shouting.

At one point, the employee who had hit the railing threatened to go to the husband’s office.

He also shouted: "CEO also no money ah, ai yah CEO ah, talk cock CEO", referring to the woman’s husband, who was a chief executive officer.

The employees later pasted a "red notice" at the main gate stating the couple’s names, the amount allegedly owed, the woman’s address, and the creditor’s name.

Gan found three breaches of POHA arising from this visit.

He said video recordings showed that the neighbourhood was "quiet and relatively peaceful".

As such, the debt collector’s repeated hitting of the railing and loud demands for payment amounted to threatening behaviour.

The use of the phrase "talk cock CEO" also "plainly constituted abusive or insulting language", while the threat to visit the husband’s office was threatening behaviour, the judge found.

The company argued that its conduct was reasonable because the woman had refused to communicate with it, its employees were responding to her shouting, and they had to raise their voices as she was inside the house initially.

However, these arguments were rejected by Gan.

The woman had already responded to the company’s letter of demand in writing, he noted.

There was also no need for the employees to shout as the home’s intercom was working and they could have communicated through it.

The judge said the company’s response suggested that it was not prepared to accept written correspondence as a proper way of engaging with the couple.

One of its employees had told the woman that it was "not up to (her) to decide how to correspond".

Visited husband's office

Two days after the first home visit, employees went to the husband’s office on Dec. 5, 2024, and left another red notice with office staff.

Neither the husband nor the woman was at the office

Although the visit itself was peaceful, Gan found that it breached POHA as it amounted to an implied threat to embarrass the husband over a private debt.

"Considering this visit together with the first visit to the claimant’s home, I concluded that the office visit was deliberately designed to exert pressure on [the husband] by embarrassing him before his staff," he said.

Additionally, the debt concerned renovation works and had nothing to do with the husband’s job.

"Your children on top watching, not very nice leh."

The debt collectors returned to the couple’s home on Dec. 11, 2024.

One of them shouted for the couple to "come out and talk", accused the husband of cheating the contractors and said that, as a CEO, he earned money by "cheating a lot of customers".

Another told the couple: "Your children on top watching, not very nice leh."

The couple’s two young children were watching from the second storey.

The woman remained inside her home and called the police.

Gan found that the way one of them had gestured towards one of the children was threatening under the circumstances.

The employees also mocked the couple.

One was heard singing at the start of a video taken by the debt collectors, while another imitated a police call, saying: "Hello police ya, this is [redacted], renovate the house and don’t want to pay."

The judge said the employees’ words and actions were designed to "shame the claimant and (her husband) into paying the alleged debt".

On Dec. 19, 2024, the employees returned to the husband's office for a second time and again handed office staff a red notice.

Gan found that this second office visit was also an implied threat to embarrass and pressure the couple.

It was not reasonable because the alleged debt was a private matter unrelated to the husband’s work, he said.

"Red notices" not unlawful on their own

For the other visits to the couple’s home on Dec. 19 and 24, 2024, and Jan. 8, 2025, the judge did not find sufficient evidence of POHA breaches.

The couple were not at home during those visits, and there was no direct evidence from witnesses or video recordings showing what had happened.

Gan also said that merely putting up a red notice about an outstanding debt was not, by itself, unlawful.

However, further breaches were likely because the alleged debt remained outstanding and the debt collectors had repeatedly visited the couple’s home and the husband’s office, he said.

As such, he granted a protection order prohibiting the company and its representatives from using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to the woman or her family.

The order also specifically prohibits them from visiting the husband’s workplace to collect the alleged debt.

"Licensed debt collectors must take heed of the legal boundaries as set out in the POHA and other applicable laws," Gan said. "Those who fail to do so run the risk of having to defend against applications for protection orders and bearing the attendant costs of court proceedings."

A fake Mothership account is promoting watch discounts.

Here is the one that was going around last year.

Mothership was alerted by some readers to a new iteration of this, but it also involves watches at a heavily discounted rate.

We are not offering any discounts on watches.

This particular scam implies we have S$139 deals on Rolexes. We do not.

While the page appears to have been taken down, Mothership will continue to work with the relevant authorities to report and remove any other impersonation accounts.

Members of the public should verify the authenticity of pages and links claiming to be affiliated with us before making any purchases.

A 31-year-old Singaporean man who abused multiple primary school students under his care in 2023 has been handed nine years and 10 months' jail, with eight strokes of the cane.

The man, who was supposed to teach mathematics and English to the children under his aunt's private educational facility, punched and beat them with a clothes hanger.

He also starved them and forced one boy to drink his own urine.

The accused cannot be named due to a gag order protecting the identity of the victims, who were between six and 11 at the time.

Hired as teacher

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the man was hired by his aunt to work as a manager in 2016 despite not having any teaching or childcare qualifications.

The facility provided accommodation for students and workers, as well as management consultancy services for foreign students.

Aside from teaching the students and checking on their school homework, the man's responsibilities included taking care of students residing at a particular unit.

His three victims, boys from China aged six, 10 and 11, were hit by the man at one point and made to go up into a push-up position.

Prosecutors said he would punish the six-year-old frequently after the boy moved into the facility in January 2023.

The victim was forced to sleep in the toilet and only provided with bread and water instead of proper meals.

He was also hit with a hanger numerous times on the buttocks, with the man taking videos of the injuries.

18-hour abuse on 6-year-old boy

On Mar. 9, 2023, the man made the six-year-old boy hold a push-up position while studying English from 3:45pm to 5pm, when the boy cried out that he was hungry.

However, the man mocked the child and did not release him from the push-up position.

He also prevented the boy from eating as other students ate their dinner, instead forcing him to hold the push-up position until the next morning.

At about 1:15am on Mar. 10, 2023, the man punched the boy and stomped on him while he was in that position.

He also periodically hit him from 2am to 7:05am with a hanger.

At one point, he placed a chair on the boy and sat on it, forcing the boy to lower his body in the push-up position.

He also made the boy urinate in a basin instead of using the toilet, and drink his own urine when he was thirsty.

Called boy's father for permission to discipline child

Court documents indicate that the man called the boy's father at about 6am on Mar. 10, 2023 to seek permission to discipline his son.

The father allowed this, but was not made aware that the man would use physical punishment.

He was also not informed that that man had already inflicted abuse on the boy.

The abuse continued until that night, with the man hitting and stomping on the boy again at one point.

By 6:05pm, the victim was weak and unable to walk on his own.

The man then carried him to the toilet, sprayed him with water, and asked him to wake up.

When the man's aunt arrived at the unit at about 7:03pm and saw the state that the boy was in, she told him to stop physically punishing the boy, but he did not comply.

He only stopped after the woman carried the boy out of the toilet and away from him.

She had wanted to send the boy to the hospital immediately for medical attention, but the man dissuaded her as he was "very scared and worried" that he would be arrested by the police.

Prosecutors said that the physical abuse by the man lasted about 18 hours.

The man had hit the boy not less than 620 times on various parts of the body and stomped on him not less than 45 times on his back and buttocks.

Arrest

The man continued to attend to the other students under his care.

The boy's injuries eventually came to light on Mar. 14 when he was brought to the hospital by the man's aunt when he complained of breathing difficulties and was coughing badly.

The victim was transferred immediately to the Children’s Intensive Care Unit, where he remained until Mar. 28, 2023.

He was assessed to have lung injury caused by blunt force to his chest, which led to an abnormal buildup of fluids in his lungs.

He also had kidney failure caused by blunt force to his back, which required nine days of dialysis.

Other injuries included muscle injury involving muscle breakdown, severe hypertension caused by kidney failure, and multiple rib fractures.

The hospital reported the boy’s injuries to the police, and the man was arrested that same day.

The boy was eventually discharged more than a month later on Apr. 28, 2023.

Sentencing

The man pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse, one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, and one count of providing false or misleading information to the Ministry of Manpower on Jul. 9, 2025.

During his sentencing on Aug. 21, 2026, he reportedly kept his head down and occasionally looked towards his family in the court, according to The Straits Times (ST).

The judge said the facts speak for themselves when it came to the brutality of the acts committed on the victims, especially on the six-year-old boy.

According to ST, while the defence raised that the man had an alcoholic father and a gangster older brother who physically abused him when he was young, the judge said it "does not excuse the behaviour and cruel acts that he committed".

"Being a young boy who had suffered at the hands of abusers, the offender should have been in a better position not to repeat such treatment to vulnerable victims who had trusted him to care for them and protect them," ST cited.

The deputy public prosecutors added that the man had abused the trust placed in him in caring for the victims by inflicting violence on them.

His request to have his sentenced deferred for a week to attend prayers was rejected.

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of 13-year-old Kayverlyn Tan Min Er.

She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts in the vicinity of Westwood Avenue on Aug. 19 at about 10:40am.

Anyone with information is requested to call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is aware of the recent reports on Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Capsule Cream, and has worked with the three companies marketing it to suspend its sales, and to recall the product.

The product is suspected of containing a prohibited ingredient, Sudan Red.

It has been reported that Sudan Red, a type of dye, poses health risks due to its potential carcinogenicity and allergenic properties.

On Jul. 24, Hong Kong Customs warned members of the public about the Medicube cream, and appealed to sellers to remove it from their shelves, and for people to stop using the product.

Prohibited ingredient

Responding to Mothership's queries, HSA said it was aware of recent reports regarding the Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Capsule Cream.

The agency added that it has worked with three companies marketing the product to recall it and suspend sales.

It has also launched an investigation and will test the products, adding that it will take relevant regulatory actions should safety concerns be detected.

Meanwhile, HSA advised consumers who have purchased the product to stop using it as a precautionary measure.

The agency further stated that Sudan Red dyes are prohibited ingredients under the Health Products (Cosmetic Products – ASEAN Cosmetic Directive) Regulations 2007.

As such, they are not allowed in cosmetic products sold in Singapore.

Any person found to have supplied such products may face a fine of up to S$50,000 and/or a jail term of up to two years.

Online listings

Checks by Mothership on Aug. 20 showed that online listings of the product could be found on platforms such as iHerb, Shopee and Lazada.

The websites show that the product is still in stock and could be delivered by the end of August 2026.

Regulations

HSA added that cosmetic products are regulated under the Health Products (Cosmetic Products – ASEAN Cosmetic Directive) Regulations 2007.

Under the regulations, dealers must notify HSA before any cosmetic products can be placed on the market.

The notification facilitates regulatory follow-up by HSA if safety concerns arise.

HSA pointed out that product notification is not a form of premarket approval and should not be construed as product certification or registration by HSA.

Dealers of cosmetic products must ensure that their products comply with the regulatory requirements.

This includes the prohibition and restriction of the use of certain ingredients, the reporting of serious adverse effects to HSA and product labelling.