A 70-year-old British retiree who was invited to his neighbour's house for a meal molested his 54-year-old female neighbour.

He reportedly did so after a few drinks and even sent harassing text messages afterwards, Shin Min Daily News reported.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of insulting a woman's modesty and was sentenced to three weeks in jail and a fine of S$1,000 on Aug. 12.

The victim and the man lived in an apartment building in the Marina Bay area.

A gag order was imposed to protect the identity of the victim.

Neighbours

On Jun. 21, 2025, the victim reportedly invited a group of relatives and friends, including the man and his wife, to her home for dinner and to watch a fireworks display.

The party lasted until the early hours of the next day, during which the man consumed at least three glasses of wine, a bottle of beer, and a glass of Aperol liqueur and became intoxicated.

At approximately 2am, the man approached the victim in the living room and gestured for her to come closer with his right index finger.

The victim, thinking he had something to say, moved closer, Shin Min reported.

The man then put his right arm around the victim's neck, pulled her towards him, and pinched her through her shorts with his left hand.

He also reportedly said to her: "I like you, can I have you?"

The victim, startled, immediately pushed him away.

The man and his wife left the victim's home after she told them to leave.

Harassing texts

However, the man reportedly did not stop after returning home.

Between 2:53am and 3:24am, he continued to send multiple messages to the victim via WhatsApp, including asking if he could "pinch her buttocks" in the future.

The victim explicitly refused and told him to go to sleep.

The man replied that he wished she had said "yes" earlier and also called her "sexy."

The victim reported the incident to the police on Jul. 8, 2025.

The man was arrested on Jul. 28 and charged in court the following day.

He was granted bail of S$10,000, but remained in custody as no one paid the bail.

To keep up his gambling addiction, a Singaporean man, 29, siphoned nearly S$1.9 million in total from five people, including about S$1.65 million from his adoptive father.

He also forged a police report he purportedly made to prevent his father from lodging a real one.

Then, he fled to Taiwan when he found out the police was investigating the withdrawals he made from his father's Central Provident Fund (CPF) account.

Tay Yi Cong, now 29, pleaded guilty to seven charges related to cheating and theft.

Another 28 charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

On Aug. 13, he was sentenced to a total of seven years in jail, backdated to Jun. 17, 2024, when he was remanded for these offences.

His gambling habit

Tay, a student from the National University of Singapore (NUS), was a regular officer and senior medic in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) at the time of the offences in 2023 and 2024, according to court documents.

He developed a gambling addiction playing baccarat at casinos in Singapore, and online gambling and underground casinos in Taiwan when he was there for SAF duties between 2021 and 2023.

By December 2023, he had incurred about S$60,000 worth of debt to multiple banks, without the means to repay those debts. Nonetheless, he wanted to continue gambling.

He continued going to the Marina Bay Sands Casino to gamble despite being banned from the venue from Jan. 30, 2024, for stealing someone's S$11,900 Rolex watch there.

Deceiving a fellow regular

While posted in Taiwan, he grew close to the 29-year-old SAF regular he bunked with, to the extent that the man entrusted Tay with the PIN number for his phone.

One night when the friend was sleeping, Tay unlocked his phone and signed up for a Standard Chartered bank account under the friend's name. He was able to log into the friend's Singpass account by guessing his six-digit passcode.

Then, he used this new account to apply for a S$25,000 loan, and for the loan to be delivered to his own DBS bank account.

Tay used this money to finance his personal expenditures and to gamble at the Marina Bay Sands Casino after he returned to Singapore.

He then spent his winnings on luxury goods from Loewe, Balenciaga, and Burberry.

Deceiving his brother

In January 2024, Tay used his younger brother's DBS iBanking app on his phone to transfer S$25,000 to his father's bank account, and then to his own DBS account, without either person's knowledge.

He did not make any restitution to his brother.

Deceiving his father

After Tay returned to Singapore from Taiwan in January 2024, he applied for bank loans and credit cards using his 62-year-old adoptive father's particulars.

His father's phone did not require a password to unlock, and neither was his Singpass account secured by any password.

Tay was thus able to apply for bank loans and/or credit cards under his father's name from five banks.

He would either transfer the sums from the loan accounts to his DBS account, or apply for the loan to be sent directly to his DBS account.

As for the credit cards, he would use them to pay for his own expenses.

Similar to before, he gambled away S$42,900 he got from a loan account, and used any winnings he gained to purchase luxury goods.

Through such loans, he cheated several banks of S$380,558, and left his father saddled with the burden of repaying the sum.

As these offences went undetected, Tay felt emboldened and decided to transfer money from his father's bank accounts to his own account over several occasions, to use for gambling.

He also plotted to withdraw money from his father's CPF account and transfer it to himself so that he could place bigger bets at casinos.

To pass the Singpass facial recognition to access his father's CPF account, Tay scanned his father's face using the camera on his iPad. His father did not check what the scan was for and simply did as his son told.

Tay increased the daily withdrawal limit of the father's CPF account, then transferred a total of S$533,800 to his own bank account over seven occasions from Jan. 30 to Mar. 6, 2024.

He spent this full sum at the Resorts World Sentosa Casino.

Combining the transfers from his father's bank accounts and CPF account, the total sum of money he siphoned was S$1,653,258.

He paid S$37,700 back by making six transfers from his own account to his father's between February and March 2024.

Impersonating bank staff

Sometime between late January and early February 2024, Tay's father noticed that the account balance in his POSB account was lower than what he recalled, and saw that some transfers were made to Tay's DBS account.

When the father called POSB about this, the staff told him the issue should be settled within his own family, then abruptly ended the call.

Tay knew about this call as his father put it on speaker.

Fearing his offences would be discovered, Tay called his father using another phone the next day, pretending to be a bank manager of DBS.

He told his father that his POSB Account had been frozen due to issues with the banking system.

The father thus decided to use his OCBC account for daily expenses instead, but realised then that its bank balance had plummeted.

Then, Tay similarly used another phone to call his father pretending to be an OCBC staff member, and told his father OCBC was experiencing a nationwide banking glitch and was investigating the matter.

Faking a police report

When the father told Tay about his bank account issues, Tay lied that he would make a police report for him, and forged a report using an online template.

After seeing a copy of the forged police report, the father decided not to lodge one himself.

Tay also bought his father a new phone as a birthday gift, then continued to use his father's old phone to transfer money to himself.

Finally, Tay's father discovered the withdrawals on his CPF account in March 2024, and submitted and inquiry.

A CPF customer service executive made a police report, prompting the police to call the father.

As the father again put the call on loudspeaker mode, Tay overheard the conversation and learnt that the police had begun their investigations.

He absconded the country on Mar. 13, 2024, by boarding a flight to Taiwan.

Further offences

While in Taiwan, he met up again with the SAF regular he had bunked with.

Using the friend's phone, Tay transferred S$11,875.50 from the friend's bank account and used it for his daily expenses in Taiwan.

His offences involving this friend amounted to total losses of S$36,875.50, S$6,000 of which was later waived by the bank.

Tay did not make any restitution to this friend.

Also in Taiwan, he met the last victim, another SAF regular who was on duty in Taiwan.

This man was unaware that Tay had absconded, and was close enough with Tay that he previously shared his personal passwords with him.

Using this friend's phone, Tay transferred money to himself and applied for loans under the friend's name.

The losses involving this friend added up to S$168,155, which he used for gambling and personal expenses, including when he travelled to the Philippines and South Korea.

He also did not make any restitution to this friend.

Arrest

While in South Korea, Tay was running out of money when he encountered an elderly shopkeeper who reminded him of his late grandmother.

He confessed his offences to the shopkeeper, who suggested that he turn himself in.

He decided to do so. He returned to Singapore in June 2024 and turned himself in to the authorities as he had nearly run out of money to sustain himself overseas.

Sentencing

The prosecution sought a total jail sentence of seven years to seven years and eight months.

They highlighted that his actions were an "egregious betrayal" of people close to him, and he "financially exploited the people who trusted him for his own gain".

Tay's father, in particular, is approaching the age of retirement, and "was drained of a significant amount of his hard-earned CPF savings" by Tay, they added.

Furthermore, they pointed out that although the intent behind Tay's offences was to obtain money for gambling, any winnings that he derived from gambling did not go towards repaying the loans he took using his friend's name.

Instead, he used the winnings to buy luxury items.

Considering the "astronomical losses" and the abuse of trust, "the impact of his offences will still be felt long after the conclusion of this case", the prosecution argued.

A 44-year-old American man reportedly suffered a heart attack and was in a coma for a few months after eating contaminated raw oysters in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States.

Joe Belgio apparently contracted Enteropathogenic E. coli and Plesiomonas shigelloides after consuming the oysters from a restaurant, CBS News and ABC7 reported.

Lawsuit

In June 2025, Belgio was celebrating with his family at Gibsons Steakhouse when he apparently consumed the oysters.

On Aug. 10, 2026, Belgio’s lawyers announced that a lawsuit had been filed on behalf of Belgio against the restaurant.

They claimed that Belgio, a retired firefighter and a former U.S. soldier, suffered a massive heart attack that resulted in an anoxic brain injury.

“He ended up getting very, very ill, and resulting in cardiac arrests where he lost consciousness and oxygen for at least eight minutes,” his lawyers said.

His lawyers added that physicians treating Belgio "determined to a reasonable degree of medical certainty" that his illness was caused by consuming the contaminated oysters.

Belgio apparently requires specialised brain-injury rehabilitation, additional therapeutic care and specialised support.

"He is most likely bedridden for the rest of his life. He is extremely brain damaged, with very little cognitive capacity, and will need care for the rest of his life," his lawyers said.

He also purportedly had medical bills amounting to about US$1 million (S$1.28 million) as a result of his illnesses.

Belgio is apparently seeking damages from the restaurant to help cover the costs.

His lawsuit also named two other establishments, Supreme Lobster and Seafood Company, as defendants.

Gibsons Steakhouse

In response to queries, Gibsons Restaurant Group acknowledged the impact of Belgio’s experiences as “tragic”.

“We recognise the seriousness of what he is facing and wish him a full recovery,” they said.

They added that they take food safety “extremely seriously” and is focused on “providing a superior and safe dining experience”.

However, they denied the allegations as “there have been no other reported cases of illness”.

“Based on the facts and our internal investigation, there is no evidence to suggest that our establishment caused his health condition. We are confident that a fair and thorough legal process will agree with this conclusion," they said.

Singaporean lawyer and politician Lim Tean reportedly left behind clothes, books and an unfinished cup of tea at a rental apartment in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, after he was arrested there earlier this month.

Deported to Singapore and arrested

The 61-year-old had been due to begin serving a three-month-and-one-week jail sentence on Aug. 3 for practising law without a valid practising certificate.

However, he failed to surrender as required, prompting the court to issue an arrest warrant against him.

According to a tip-off received by Shin Min Daily News, Lim had crossed into Malaysia by land before hiding in a rental apartment in Johor Bahru.

He was arrested by Malaysian police on Aug. 6, a day before he was due to check out of the apartment.

He was subsequently deported to Singapore and arrested by officers from the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Aug. 11, 2026.

Apartment booked under another man's name

In an interview with Shin Min, the owner of the guesthouse said the apartment had been booked, paid for, and checked in under the name of Mohammad Adam.

A 44-year-old man, Mohammad Adam Abd Karim, and another man, 47-year-old Sulaiman Muhammad Firdaus, were previously charged in Singapore on Aug. 8 with allegedly conspiring to make arrangements for Lim to leave Singapore illegally for Malaysia.

The guesthouse owner said she was surprised when police contacted her about the case.

At the police's request, she checked the guesthouse's records and found that only Mohammad Adam had registered for a stay from Aug. 3 to 7.

However, after security guards reviewed CCTV footage, they determined that Lim was the person who had actually checked into the apartment after the room key and access card were collected.

"I didn’t know [Lim] was a wanted criminal," said the guesthouse owner. "He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, not at all menacing. All I knew was that he was Singaporean."

Clothes and books left behind

According to Shin Min, the one-bedroom apartment costs more than RM100 (S$31) a night.

It was furnished with a double bed, television, dining table, sofa, Wi-Fi, washing machine and refrigerator, among other amenities.

The guesthouse owner said police had instructed them not to enter or touch anything in the apartment until the following day, when Lim was due to check out.

According to her, Lim left several English-language books and items of clothing in the apartment.

These included a grey shirt, a blue shirt, a pair of black trousers, and two pairs of underwear.

"I believe he brought some books to read in order to pass the time," the owner said.

She added that the guesthouse was unable to contact the person who made the reservation, whom she believed had also been arrested.

"We didn't think he would come back to collect them, so we threw everything away," she said.

Despite the circumstances, the owner said the apartment was relatively tidy when staff entered to clean it.

"When we cleaned, there was actually not much rubbish in the room. He was a pretty clean and good tenant," she said.

An unfinished cup of tea was also left in the apartment.

The owner speculated that this was due to the arrest:

"He probably wanted to drink tea that day, but when the police arrived, he was no longer in the mood."

Apartment complex has strict security measures

When Shin Min visited the apartment complex, it found that residents were required to scan a QR code to enter and exit the building.

Room cards could also only be used to access the resident's own floor and a common area on the seventh floor.

The owner added that there are CCTV cameras on every floor.

"Even if there are criminals, they can be found very quickly, so we are not too worried," she said, adding that homeowners in the development also maintained close relationships with the security guards.

The owner also said she was unable to retrieve the unit's room key and access card after Lim's arrest.

She contacted the police, who told her they would look into the matter, but she said she eventually had to replace the lock and access card for RM200 (S$62).

She added that she was unable to open the door to the unit that day and had to hire a locksmith for about RM120 (S$37).

The owner said guests book the rental apartments through an online platform, making it difficult for property owners to know in advance whether they may be involved in a criminal case.

"We follow the required procedures, and the management will request information from the guests," she said.

Eight men and three women, aged between 18 and 77, were arrested for suspected involvement in assisting an unlicensed moneylending syndicate.

Six men will be charged on Aug. 13.

Operation

On Aug. 12, more than 100 officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, Police Intelligence Department and Special Operations Command conducted an island-wide enforcement operation involving simultaneous raids at multiple locations.

Those believed to be involved in an unlicensed moneylending syndicate, as well as errant mobile phone retailers suspected of fraudulently registering postpaid SIM cards that were subsequently used by the syndicate for unlicensed moneylending activities, were targeted during the operation.

Preliminary investigations revealed that 11 persons allegedly assisted the syndicate in various capacities.

The capacities included sending bulk SMS advertisements offering “fast cash” and “easy loans” using Singapore-registered mobile lines, topping up these mobile numbers to facilitate the messaging activities, acting as runners, and providing their bank accounts to facilitate unlicensed moneylending transactions.

The syndicate is believed to be responsible for at least 25,500 ScamShield reports and at least 1,509 police reports.

A total of 883 of the reports were related to unlicensed moneylending.

During the operation, more than S$410,000 in cash, two laptops, 22 mobile phones, 14 SIM cards and 24 bank cards were seized.

A total of 29 bank accounts linked to the syndicate, with a combined balance of more than S$106,000, were also frozen.

Cryptocurrencies valued at more than US$25,000 (S$32,014) were also seized.

Charged

Six men, aged between 26 and 29, will be charged with an offence under the Moneylenders Act 2008.

One of them was also apparently found in possession of more than 300 vaporisers and related components.

Most of the items seized are suspected to be vaporiser pods that contain etomidate.

He is assisting the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) with investigations under the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act 1993.

The vaporisers have been sent for testing.

Investigations into the other five persons suspected of assisting the syndicate are ongoing.

Following the raids, another five men, aged between 20 and 52, were identified and are assisting with investigations into their suspected roles in the fraudulent registration of SIM cards, which were subsequently used by the syndicate to send bulk SMS advertisements promoting loan services.

Punishments

First-time offenders convicted of carrying on or assisting in the business of unlicensed moneylending are liable to a jail term of up to four years, a fine of not less than S$30,000 and up to S$300,000, and caning of not more than six strokes.

Those convicted of facilitating the fraudulent registration of a SIM card that facilitates criminal activity are liable to a fine up to S$10,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both.

The individual shall also be liable to caning of up to 12 strokes.

The police reminded members of the public that vaporisers are illegal in Singapore.

It is an offence to import, distribute, sell, offer for sale or possess for sale vaporisers and their components, tobacco products or imitation tobacco products containing specified psychoactive substances including etomidate, in Singapore.

Convicted importers are liable to three to 20 years’ jail and five to 15 strokes of the cane, while convicted suppliers are liable to face two to 10 years’ jail and two to five strokes of the cane.

Members of the public can call the police hotline at 1800-225-0000, or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in unlicensed moneylending activities.

All information provided will be kept confidential.

After an hour of being unable to book a private hire car home, a Singaporean man, 27, pushed his mother to the ground before kicking her in the face out of frustration.

The assault caused the 65-year-old woman to cut her lip and knock loose three of her teeth.

The man then threw stones at a nearby taxi that was carrying a female passenger and her baby.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the man faced five charges, including for mischief, intentional assault and reckless conduct endangering the life of others.

He was sentenced to 19 weeks' jail.

As the woman is protected under the Women's Charter, both mother and son cannot be identified by name.

Incident

The woman had reportedly obtained a personal protection order against her son in November 2017 due to domestic violence.

At about 5:30pm on May 17, the pair attempted to book a private-hire car back home from Northshore Plaza in Punggol.

They were unable to find a vehicle after an hour, causing the accused to become agitated.

He kicked the body of a taxi at an intersection and was reprimanded by his mother.

However, he then pushed her to the ground.

When a passerby offered the elder woman assistance, he yelled at them to leave her alone before kicking his mother twice.

The victim was later taken to Sengkang General Hospital for treatment.

She suffered a two-centimetre cut to her lower lip and damage to three of her front teeth.

Threw stones at taxi

The man also walked to a road divider and threw stones at a passing taxi ferrying a woman and her baby, damaging the taxi's door and handlebars, Shin Min reported.

The damages added up to S$776, the court found.

The taxi driver dropped his passengers off at their destination before returning to the scene, where he reported the accused to police officers present.

History of domestic violence

In court, it was found that the man had committed domestic violence against his mother in the past.

In one instance, he whipped her with a belt, kicked her body, pinched her arm, banged on the door and threatened to kill her.

He served six weeks in jail in July 2025 for violating his mother's personal protection order by pinching her arm.

A female neighbour who was present in the courtroom also accused him of jumping and stomping his feet in the corridor outside her house.

When the incident was read in court, the accused's mother emotionally pleaded for her son's innocence by claiming she and her son were the victims instead.

It was revealed that the man had been diagnosed with ADHD, autism, conduct disorder and borderline intellectual disability.

However, the prosecution stated that despite his mental disabilities, he still retained self-control and was aware that his behaviours were wrong.

As someone in her 30s, hair health has become something I think about a lot more than I used to. My hair isn't as thick or voluminous as it was in my 20s, and I've also been dealing with persistent scalp issues like itchiness and flakes for a while.

After trying different products with limited results, I started looking beyond conventional haircare and became curious about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Over the past year, TCM has been gaining attention worldwide, with more people turning to it for a holistic approach to everything from gut health to stress management and, increasingly, hair and scalp concerns.

That made me wonder: could TCM offer a different perspective on treating the root causes of hair and scalp issues rather than just managing the symptoms? So, I decided to find out for myself.

A potential cause of hair loss

To better understand TCM's approach to hair loss, I spoke with Carol, a Beijing 101 consultant who has been with the company for more than six years. She shared that, from a TCM perspective, an oily, flaky scalp is often a sign of 湿热 (damp heat), internal imbalances that may contribute to ongoing scalp and hair concerns.

So what causes these imbalances in the first place? According to Carol, it often comes down to lifestyle habits. "It may be influenced by factors such as an imbalanced diet and not getting enough rest," she explains.

"Our liver helps to detoxify the body when we sleep. If someone doesn't get enough rest, it can affect the smooth functioning of the liver system and nourishment of the blood.”

What is TCM’s solution to hair loss?

To address the issue at its root, Carol says TCM focuses on 活气活血, which means promoting the smooth circulation of qi (the body's vital energy) and blood throughout the body. According to TCM, disruptions in the flow of qi and blood can affect the body's ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the scalp and hair follicles.

To support this holistic approach, Carol recommends maintaining a balanced lifestyle while cutting back on overly spicy, fried and sugary foods, which are believed in TCM to contribute to internal imbalance.

Beijing 101 treatment

For those looking for a more targeted solution, Beijing 101's treatment programme begins by restoring scalp health, which Carol says is the foundation for healthy hair growth.

"We first assess the individual's scalp condition, whether it's oily, flaky or dry, and the severity of the issue before tailoring a treatment programme," she says.

Some customers begin to notice improvements in their scalp comfort and condition after about a month.

Once the scalp is healthier, the focus shifts to supporting stronger, healthier hair growth.

Is TCM the answer?

After looking into TCM, I found myself seeing hair loss a little differently. It’s not just about the strands that fall, but also about looking after the scalp beneath.

I’ve learnt that there’s no overnight fix when it comes to hair, and small changes can take time to show. For now, I’m taking it one step at a time, being more mindful of my habits, my scalp health and giving my hair the care it needs.

Hopefully, my hair will thank me for it too.

If you would also like to explore how TCM can help with your hair loss, Beijing 101 has an ongoing promotion for their Tri-Action Scalp Revival Treatment at S$50 (U.P. S$535). On top of that, you will also receive a free customised ampoule, as well as a S$10 FairPrice voucher.

To book an appointment, simply WhatsApp them.

This branded article by Beijing 101 made the writer force herself to cut down on fried and sugary foods.

On Aug. 11, 2026, officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) launched an anti-drug operation and arrested a Singaporean man, 25, and a Singaporean woman, 24, for suspected drug-related offences, including exposing their children to drugs.

A small amount of drugs, including cannabis, "Ice" and "Ecstasy", as well as drug paraphernalia were seized.

Acting on information received, CNB officers conducted an early morning raid at a residential unit in the vicinity of Marsiling Lane and arrested the couple.

The items seized were found at various parts of the unit, including the master bedroom, where the couple’s two young sons, aged three years and seven months, were present.

Appropriate arrangements were made to ensure that the welfare of the children was taken care of, and the children have been placed in the care of their next-of-kin, CNB said in its Aug. 13 statement.

CNB officers were seen taking care of the couple’s three-year-old and seven-month-old sons following the raid.

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

Superintendent Xanthus Tong, Deputy Commanding Officer of Enforcement ‘J’ said: “Drug abuse is not victimless. Its harms are far-reaching, affecting not just drug abusers themselves, but also their families and loved ones, including young children."

"CNB will take firm enforcement action against those who expose children to drugs, and urge parents to keep their children away from drugs and its associated harms,” he added.

Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973, any person aged 21 years and above who exposes controlled drugs or drug paraphernalia to a child, or permits or fails to take reasonable steps to prevent a young person from consuming controlled drugs, shall be liable for prosecution.

A 39-year-old woman in Malaysia was charged in court on Aug. 12, 2026, for allegedly murdering her 16-month-old step-granddaughter.

New Straits Times reported that no plea was recorded from the accused, Nurul Farhana Laili Shah, who was charged with murdering Nur Anggun Dahlia Abdullah.

A Johor police chief said the accused had cared for the baby since birth.

This is because the child's 18-year-old mother, who was not married and still studying at a vocational college in the state, left her in the woman's care.

Found child unresponsive

The Star reported that the child was initially believed to have died while sleeping at home on Jul. 31.

At about 9:30am that day, police had received a report from the victim's step-grandmother, who tried to wake the toddler but found her unresponsive.

"Medical personnel who arrived at the scene attempted CPR before the girl was pronounced dead at about 10:30am," The Star reported the police chief as saying.

"Initially, the case was investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for neglect resulting in the victim's death," the chief added.

Blunt force trauma

However, a post-mortem found that the child had died from blunt-force trauma to her abdomen and chest.

The wounds and bruises found on the child's body were believed to have been caused by abuse, and made the police reclassify the case as murder, The Star reported.

Following this, the police then arrested the victim's step-grandmother, grandfather and mother on Aug. 2 to assist in investigations.

The three, aged between 18 and 47 years old, had no prior criminal records and tested negative for drugs, the police chief said.

They were remanded until Aug. 12.

On Aug. 11, The Star reported that the prosecution instructed for the accused to be charged with murder.

The victim's grandfather and mother were to be released on bond under Section 118 of the Criminal Procedure Code to be prosecution witnesses.

Penalties

If convicted of murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, the accused may face the death penalty or jail of up to 40 years and, if the death penalty is not imposed, caning of not less than 12 strokes.

The court fixed Dec. 12, 2026, for mention pending the completion of the chemical, post-mortem and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) reports.

No bail was granted, New Straits Times reported.

On Jun. 17, 2025, we received two strange emails in our inbox.

They were from a woman, purportedly from Batam.

She claimed she was looking for a Singaporean man, "Tony", who had abandoned her after getting her pregnant and forcing her to get an abortion.

It was sad, of course, but the claims were not substantiated by much evidence. For one reason or another, we didn’t follow up on the story.

Little did we know that all across Singapore, multiple individuals were being subject to different iterations of this story.

Some were measured pleas for help, like the message we received.

But others were more disturbing.

Daily harassment

This year, a number of content creators took to social media to describe what appeared to be quite an astounding level of abuse by this so-called victim.

But this was just the tip of a rather puzzling iceberg.

Since June 2025, more than 40 Singapore residents — and these are just the ones we are aware of — said they have been haunted by the same woman, who allegedly messaged them, individually, every single day.

Victims claimed she sent repeated emails and entered livestreams hosted by content creators to harass them through the comments section.

Even after they blocked her, she’d apparently create spam accounts to continue contacting and harassing them.

In some cases, she would allegedly impersonate her victims online, pretending to be them in order to contact others and pressure them into complying with her demands (i.e. to reveal more information about her Singaporean ex-lover).

In other cases, her harassment would escalate into death threats.

Black magic threats

One Facebook user, Lim, went online on Apr. 2 to claim that the Batam woman had misused her photos to impersonate her online and contact people within her social circle.

The woman allegedly accused Lim of “hiding” her missing Singaporean lover, and went on to threaten her baby.

She even claimed she would use black magic to curse her child, Lim wrote in the post.

To this day, Lim doesn’t know why or how the woman got her number, or why she believes Lim is in cahoots with her ex-lover.

“I do not know her, and I do not know the person she is looking for,” Lim clarified in her Facebook post.

Who is she?

All victims were left asking the same questions: Why were they being harassed, what did the woman want, and to what extent would she go?

And perhaps most importantly, who is she?

When it first started

We traced the earliest public account of this mass harassment back to a local social media influencer.

In a social media post on Apr. 1, Emma (not her real name) described the harassment she had been facing since Jun. 3, 2025.

According to Emma, the woman repeatedly messaged her and commented on her posts, asking to be put in touch with her best friend, Nadia (not her real name).

She alleged that the woman created at least 30 fake social media accounts across TikTok and Instagram to contact her, and even harassed her on Telegram.

In screenshots seen by Mothership, the harasser threatened to kill Emma and her dog.

She also disrupted her Registry of Marriages (ROM) ceremony, by allegedly tracking down her fiancé and repeatedly contacting him during the event.

When she failed to receive a reply from Emma or her fiancé, the harasser escalated matters by emailing her company on Jun. 13, in an attempt to locate both Emma and Nadia.

Emma maintained that she does not have any information about the woman’s missing lover. She also has not replied to the woman’s messages to date.

Others also harassed

A hallmark of the harassment is its almost pyramid-like scheme.

Nadia, Emma’ best friend, was among the first few people to be targeted.

Since June 2025, the 28-year-old said she had received countless direct messages from the woman.

The woman then went on to contact not just direct acquaintances, but also “friends of friends of friends” — a web of victims which included Emma.

In a police report seen by Mothership, Nadia alleged that the woman created at least five fake social media accounts a day to harass her, while also impersonating both her and her friends online.

When asked by Mothership how many people she believed had been affected so far, Nadia said it was “impossible to count”.

Businesses, organisations targeted

Apart from individuals, the woman also contacted businesses and organisations in attempts to find the person she was looking for.

According to Emma, the woman contacted a fitness studio via Instagram in an attempt to locate her and Nadia, whom she firmly believed were hiding her “missing lover”.

As the studio’s account was publicly accessible, the woman allegedly went on to contact the studio’s followers as well.

Emma added that a Singapore-based clothing brand was also targeted with spam calls and messages via platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

Speaking to Mothership, the owner of the affected brand confirmed that her staff had been "receiving repeated and distressing messages from this individual for some time".

The messages included harassment, unsolicited obscene photos and videos, and repeated requests for the brand to help locate her lover, "Tony Toong".

Some of the photos sent to staff showed male genitalia, accompanied by claims that they "liked d***" and were therefore hiding Tony.

Mothership also listened to voice recordings allegedly sent by the harasser, in which she could be heard crying and appealing for help to locate Tony, and accusing them of hiding him or having a relationship with him.

Threatened to harm children

The owner added that the situation became "especially frightening" after she received photos of her children alongside messages that made her fear for their safety.

In a screenshot seen by Mothership, the harasser sent the owner a photo of a news report about a missing child, accompanied by the message: "Maybe your child will die like that or missing."

In another screenshot, the harasser threatened to harm another woman's baby if the owner did not take action.

"By that point, the matter had gone far beyond something we could simply ignore, so we lodged a police report in May 2026," she said.

Brand’s customers also targeted

The owner also told Mothership that the woman even began contacting her brand's customers.

She explained that the brand had a Telegram channel, intended to communicate with customers.

But the woman apparently tracked down customers' Telegram accounts via the group and began harassing them as well.

"I felt terrible that people who had simply joined our brand community were affected by something that had nothing to do with them," she said.

The owner said the most recent contact from the individual was on Jul. 16.

Despite her having repeatedly blocked the woman, the latter allegedly continued to create new Telegram accounts to continue to contact the business and its customers, making it difficult to stop the unwanted messages.

The owner added:

"I would also like to make it very clear that neither I nor anyone from [the clothing brand] knows Tony Toong.

We have no personal or business relationship with him, and we are not in a position to locate him or help resolve whatever issue exists between them.

It has been extremely upsetting to see my staff, my children, and our customers pulled into a situation in which we have no involvement."

What does the woman want?

There is a somewhat coherent story behind this perplexing harassment campaign.

While the woman never formally identified herself to us, police reports lodged by both Emma and Nadia, seen by Mothership, identified the harasser as Indonesian citizen Lilis Suryani.

Lilis apparently met Singaporean Toong Jian Heng, also known as Tony, at a Batam KTV outlet that he reportedly frequented in 2025.

This is according to Nadia, who is a former acquaintance of Tony (but who is no longer in contact with him now).

Discussed a meeting in Singapore

So what exactly was the relationship between the two?

In her initial emails to Mothership on Jun. 25, 2025, "Lilis" attached a few screenshots of messages.

They purportedly show the pair discussing the pregnancy and plans to meet in Singapore.

“Lilis” would seek assurances from “Tony” that he would not disappear after she arrived in Singapore, while questioning why he did not want to call her or meet her in Batam.

But he allegedly continued to urge her to travel to Singapore instead.

In one message, Tony asked: “So u want abort or give birth”, later telling her: “Come sg abort”.

Mothership could not independently verify the authenticity of the messages.

Lilis’ account of what happened

A year later, on Apr. 15, 2026, we received another email.

It appeared to be from "Lilis" and contained another plea for help to find Tony.

This time, she provided some more backstory on her relationship.

According to the email, her ill-fated love story dates back to Sep. 29, 2024.

She claimed she had been in a relationship with Tony, whom she "trusted and loved".

However, in March 2025, after finding out she was pregnant, she alleged that Tony subjected her to "psychological pressure and financial manipulation".

This led her to undergo an illegal abortion, she said.

Lasting trauma

“Lilis” claimed that the abortion endangered her life and left her with lasting emotional trauma.

She said that Tony cut off all communication after the procedure, leaving her to cope with the physical pain and grief alone.

In the screenshot attached to the email, “Lilis” received text messages from “Tony” telling her that "the world would be better off without" her and urging her to take her own life.

What does she want?

So what does she want?

From her latest email to Mothership, she appears to be seeking "safety and accountability" for what she described as exploitation and harassment by Tony.

In her final statement, she described herself as "a girl, and a human being whose life has been treated as disposable and unfair".

She added that she hoped the authorities would show that "the law is stronger than those who use fear to hide their crimes" and pleaded not to be silenced.

In the same email, she attached a photo of male genitalia, which she also sent to some of her other victims.

Mothership’s attempts to follow up with her were unsuccessful.

She has not responded to any queries as of the time of publication.

Who is Tony?

So now we know who Lilis is.

The next question is: Who is Tony?

Not every lead Lilis pursued turned out to be a dead end. Though many of the people she contacted had no apparent connection to Tony, some actually did.

Like Nadia, who told Mothership that she was acquainted with Tony through her husband, John (not his real name).

According to Nadia, John first met Tony through a friend from polytechnic. She also met Tony once or twice at social gatherings years ago, but they exchanged only a few words.

When asked what she knew about the couple, Nadia said she understood that Lilis had become pregnant by Tony, but later suffered a miscarriage.

According to Nadia, Tony initially provided financial and medical support after the miscarriage.

But he eventually stopped responding to Lilis, who has since been trying to locate him.

The search for Tony

This brings us to what we know today.

Apart from the harassment, online checks by Mothership found multiple social media accounts featuring photos of Tony.

The social media accounts adopted different personas and identities in their posts, giving varying accounts of how they “knew” Tony.

But they appear to be yet another attempt to track him down.

This is consistent with the pattern of impersonation that the harasser has been accused of.

Indonesians are also affected

The harassment apparently extends to Indonesia as well.

Batam-based news outlet Batamnews had earlier reported on the alleged harassment of various Indonesians.

In response to Mothership’s queries, Batamnews’s CEO shed some light on their investigations.

One of the victims, he explained, was an Indonesian woman living in Batam. She gave her name as Lia.

Lia said she’d initially tried to help Lilis after the latter went to her claiming that she was pregnant and searching for her lover to “take responsibility”.

As Lia used to work at a KTV outlet in Batam with Tony and followed him on Instagram, she initially responded to Lilis' Instagram messages in March 2025.

But Lilis' requests became increasingly unreasonable, and she began to harass Lia’s acquaintances as well. Lia eventually decided to cut off contact.

According to Batamnews, Lia later became a victim of harassment herself after her personal photographs and phone number were circulated in WhatsApp and Facebook groups.

The posts allegedly falsely portrayed her as someone offering sexual services.

Batam Police currently investigating

Lia filed a police report on Feb. 27.

Batam authorities at the time reportedly determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish a criminal threat.

However, Batamnews told Mothership that the case has since progressed.

Following further submissions by the victims, the police have officially accepted the report and are now investigating the matter.

The Batam-based news outlet added that while it does not have an exact figure for the total number of victims, more Indonesians have continued to come forward claiming they were similarly harassed.

Obtained a response from the alleged harasser

Batamnews also managed to obtain a response from Lilis.

According to the outlet, Lilis said she was the victim of broken promises made by Tony, the Singaporean man she has been trying to locate.

She also claimed that Tony had gotten her pregnant, which she said motivated her actions.

So where is Tony now?

What we know is that sometime in April 2025, when the alleged harassment first began, Nadia's husband reached out to Tony for clarity.

Tony responded by sharing Lilis' passport details with Nadia and Emma, allowing them to identify her.

The pair also learnt that he had filed a police report against Lilis in Batam over the alleged harassment, sharing a screenshot of the report dated Aug. 12, 2025.

Tony also forwarded a screenshot to Emma as an update on the situation, sometime around September 2025.

It was, apparently, evidence that Lilis had been questioned by the police at one point, purportedly showing messages sent to Tony by his lawyers, with a photo of Lilis speaking to police officers at a police station.

That was the last Emma and Nadia heard of him.

Trying to find a resolution

To try to put an end to the harassment, Emma and Nadia went to the Singapore police on Jul. 7, 2025.

Emma also sought help from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in November 2025.

According to her, both the Singapore Police Force and MFA said that, as Lilis was based in Batam, the matter fell outside Singapore's jurisdiction.

She also sought assistance from the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO) to block the spam TikTok accounts.

Despite these efforts, the harassment continued.

In December 2025, Emma contacted the Indonesian embassy for help.

The following month, in January 2026, she travelled to Batam with her husband and Nadia, where they met with Singapore consular officers.

In response to Mothership’s enquiries, Singapore Police Force said investigations are ongoing.

Tony goes missing

According to Emma and Nadia, Tony is the last piece in the puzzle involving possibly more than 100 people.

But they have been unable to contact him after their last message to him in September 2025, with Tony apparently falling off the radar entirely.

In an effort to locate him, Emma managed to trace the local cleaning company Tony previously worked at.

She reached out to company executives, but was told that Tony had since resigned — something which they believe is linked to the harassment.

“Even all his close friends are unaware of his whereabouts,” Nadia told Mothership.

Mothership also tried to reach Tony through the Singapore and Indonesian contact numbers provided by Emma and Nadia, but to no avail.

Tony a fugitive?

On Apr. 20, 2026, Mothership received an email from an anonymous reader alleging that Tony had been a fugitive for over a year.

The reader claimed that reports had been filed with the Batam police, who had allegedly issued three formal summonses for Tony.

They further alleged that Tony had yet to cooperate with the authorities or acknowledge his alleged personal and legal obligations.

The email claimed that certain individuals may have been helping to conceal his whereabouts. It also included a police report, which Mothership confirmed with the Singapore Police Force had been filed.

The emailer did not respond to follow-up emails by Mothership.

Mothership has reached out to Batam police for comment.

MPs were also involved

In March 2026, Emma sought help from her MP, Baey Yam Keng.

To her surprise, she found that Lilis had apparently beat her to it, having already reached out to Baey in an attempt to locate Tony.

This was according to a screenshot that Lilis had sent to Emma.

In response to Mothership’s enquiries, Baey confirmed that Emma had spoken to him about the matter, but there are challenges as Lilis is a resident of Batam.

He added that he had “received a few emails under different names and email addresses” from the harasser, but has since ignored and blocked them.

Emma told Mothership that her friend, another of Lilis’s victims, also recently spoke to Low Yen Ling during a Meet-the-People Session about the matter.

Mothership has reached out for more information.

Death threats continue

On Apr. 7, Lilis allegedly emailed Emma again, demanding two million rupiah (around S$170) in exchange for stopping the harassment.

The email was followed by further death threats and demands for money, leaving her feeling that the ordeal was far from over.

Emma did not respond to the attempt at blackmail.

Even at the time of writing, Nadia and Emma claimed the harassment had not stopped.

According to her, she and people within her social circle have continued to receive messages from the woman on a near-daily basis, as they have since June 2025.

For many of those caught up in what they believe to be an ongoing online vendetta, there appears to be little resolution in sight unless Tony is found.

For now, they can only hope that the Batam police's ongoing investigations will bring some answers and, ultimately, an end to the ordeal.