16-year-old boy among three arrested for unlawful discharge of fireworks in Ghim Moh
Two men, aged 25 and 33, and a 16-year-old boy were arrested for their suspected involvement in the unlawful discharge of fireworks in Ghim Moh.
Stomper R had earlier shared a 28-second video of fireworks being set off from the multi-storey carpark at Block 16A Ghim Moh Road on March 20, the eve of Hari Raya. Cheers can be heard at the end of the fireworks display.
The police were alerted at 11.15pm. Through extensive ground enquiries, officers from Clementi Police Division established the identities of the trio and arrested them between March 22 and 23, said the police in a news release.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the trio had discharged multiple fireworks in the vicinity, causing loud explosions that alarmed residents in the area.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Stomp it was alerted to a fire involving sparklers that had burned itself out before SCDF’s arrival. No injuries were reported.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Last year, fireworks were set off from a multi-storey carpark at Block 131A Kim Tian Road on Oct 26, and a 20-year-old man was arrested. Kowshik Renganathan was charged on Oct 29 with unauthorised use of explosives, which carries an imprisonment term up to 36 months and a fine up to $50,000.
The police said they have zero tolerance against acts that endanger the lives or safety of others and cause undue alarm to the public, and will not hesitate to take action against those who blatantly disregard the law.
The use of fireworks in Singapore was first regulated in 1968, when rocket-type fireworks were banned after they were found responsible for a third of the 150 fires that broke out during Chinese New Year that year.
In 1972, this became a total ban with the Dangerous Fireworks Act.
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