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A 33-year-old man was arrested for burglary and indignation of modesty after a three-hour standoff with authorities in Tampines on Monday (January 18).
The drama began at Block 885A Tampines Street 83 around 11 a.m.
According to preliminary investigations, the man had allegedly entered his neighbor’s unsecured unit and kissed a woman several times while she was sleeping alone inside.
“The woman woke up to the situation, yelled at the man to leave the unit and contacted her family member for help,” police said in a statement.
Then the man returned to his unit and locked himself up.
Police said they were alerted around 12:00 to a case in which a man alleged that someone wanted to hit him. When they arrived, they found the man locked inside his unit.
“There were also two people outside the unit who were observed to be confronting him,” police added.
“The officers advised them to stay away from the unit.”
The man continued to refuse to open the door despite repeated calls from officers to do so. He also threatened to jump out of his unit.
“The resources of the Singapore Special Operations Command and the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) were activated,” police said.
A video circulating online shows SCDF officers climbing the block. Several bystanders had also gathered at the foot of the block to watch the scene unfold.
In response to an inquiry from Stomp, the SCDF said it received a call for assistance around 1.10 p.m.
A safety airbag and nets were deployed. Rescue teams from the Disaster Rescue and Assistance Team (DART) were also on standby as a precaution.
After hours of engagement, the man finally listened to the instructions and opened the door.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the confrontation lasted for three hours until 3 pm, when the man was arrested.
The man was taken to Changi General Hospital and later referred to the Institute of Mental Health for a psychiatric evaluation.
The 29-year-old neighbor told Shin Min that she had been working from home when she felt tired and went to take a nap in the bedroom. However, he forgot to close the door.
She recounted: “The man suddenly pinned me against the bed and tried to kiss me. I was surprised.”
He said he screamed loudly and yelled at the man, thus alerting the neighbors, who came to check what had happened.
The man subsequently fled his home.
“Then I contacted my fiancé and family to come help,” the woman said.
When his family arrived, they tried to knock on the man’s door, but he refused to come out.
The woman said that she had been a neighbor of the man for more than six years and that she occasionally asked her fiancé for cigarettes or loose change.
“My fiancé was quite nice to him and therefore he got even angrier when he found out about the incident.”
“However, I have always found his behavior strange and rarely interacted with him.”
The man was previously a food delivery man, but he has been off work for a long time, another resident told Shin Min.
The man will be indicted in court on Wednesday (January 20).
Outrage for modesty carries a jail term of up to two years and / or a fine and / or flogging, while trespassing carries a jail term of up to three months and / or a fine of up to $ 1,500.
