Neighbours find man dead in Bukit Batok flat after noticing foul smell, stack of newspapers
A foul smell and a stack of uncollected newspapers outside a flat prompted neighbours to alert the police, who later found the body of a man inside his home.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident occurred at about 10am on July 5 at a maisonette unit in Block 14, Bukit Batok Street 21.
When reporters arrived, a police car and a Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) vehicle were parked below the block.
At least three police officers were stationed outside the unit while CSI officers conducted investigations inside.
A strong decomposing odour lingered in the corridor, where mosquito coils had been placed outside the flat, apparently to help mask the smell.
Earliest newspaper in the stack dated June 21
A female neighbour told Shin Min that an elderly man lived alone in the unit.
Residents next door first noticed a foul smell on July 4 and began to suspect that something was wrong.
“My unit is farther away, so I could only smell it when the wind blew in my direction,” she said.
The neighbours discussed whether to alert the police and decided to check on the man again the following morning.
By then, the odour had grown even stronger, she said.
When they approached the unit, they also noticed a large stack of uncollected newspapers outside the door.
While uncollected newspapers can sometimes mean that a resident has gone overseas, the neighbour said the earliest copy was dated June 21.
Coupled with the stench, they knew “something wasn’t right” and called the police immediately.
According to the neighbour, officers arrived within about 10 minutes of receiving the report and immediately began their investigations.
Shin Min reporters observed more than 10 copies of The Straits Times stacked outside the unit.
After several hours of investigations, a hearse arrived at about 2pm, and the man’s body was removed.
Stomp has reached out to the police for comment.
Man kept to himself
Neighbours described the elderly man as quiet and reserved, saying he rarely interacted with others, though he would occasionally greet them.
Residents added that he had been living alone in the flat for about 30 years and appeared to have few relatives.
“Someone we believe is his sister used to visit occasionally and help take care of the flat, but we haven’t seen her for quite some time,” one neighbour said.
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