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SOMEONE went around puncturing tyres in Telok Blangah yesterday.
At least 13 tyres belonging to nine vehicles - including a taxi - were hit.
The worst hit was a Comfort taxi, which had three of its tyres punctured.
The driver, Mr Chye Ah Choi, 60, told The New Paper he had parked his taxi for less than 10 minutes to grab a bite at a nearby coffee shop.
He said: "I came back to my taxi at about 3.10pm and was shocked to find three of my tyres punctured.
"I just happened to stop here for a meal after dropping a passenger off. It's just so unlucky."
Mr Chye, who has been a taxi driver for more than 20 years, added: "It was about time for me to change shifts, so I lost only about $50 in earnings.
"But I told my partner that he would have to take the night off as the car is at the workshop."
Another victim, Ms Yvonne Yoong, 26, a purchaser, had two of her car tyres punctured.
She said: "My Mazda 2 is less than two years old and I happened to come home early from work because I wasn't feeling well."
Her boyfriend, Mr Henry Lee, 29, who is self-employed, said that a neighbour had informed them of the incident.
Said Ms Yoong: "It's one thing to puncture one tyre, but it's very frustrating that it's two tyres.
"We have only one spare tyre so we can't even drive to the workshop."
The couple managed to borrow a spare tyre from Mr Lee's brother, who lives a few blocks away.
Mr Lee said: "Because the tyres are high-performance tyres, a workshop mechanic who was changing tyres for one of the other victims told me it will cost about $200 each to replace."
The vehicles hit were in two carparks - one next to Block 8 at Telok Blangah Crescent, and the other next to Block 7.
The culprit punctured the tyres of six vehicles in the first carpark, and three vehicles in the second carpark.
When The New Paper arrived at the scene at 3.45pm yesterday, more than 50 residents had gathered, and the police had been called in.
Witnesses said that the culprit lives in the estate.
They claimed he is mentally unsound and is in his 50s.
Mr See Chuan Lam, 55, who does odd jobs, claimed he saw the man puncture the tyres.
He said: "The man punctured the tyres of a lorry, a minivan and a black car at about 7am in the morning.
"When I was having lunch at a nearby coffee shop at 2.45pm, I saw the man again and told my friend that he was the culprit.
"Then we saw him puncture the tyres of more cars in the carpark with a sharp, white object of about a foot (33cm) long before running to the opposite carpark."
He claimed that he saw the man puncture more car tyres before running up the staircase of a nearby block of flats.
"Other witnesses who saw him run off said he lives in a fourth-floor unit of a nearby block, and is mentally unsound,"added Mr See.
"I didn't shout at him to stop or approach him because I was afraid he might turn around and attack me."
When The New Paper visited the unit, we heard a man talking loudly.
But when we knocked on the door, no one responded and the flat suddenly became quiet.
Neighbours we spoke to said that the man lives alone.
A resident who lives two doors away said she finds him "scary".
"He often disturbs neighbours by screaming, shouting and throwing things, both during the day and at night.
"Sometimes, he sleeps on the floor outside his door," said the resident, who's in her 70s and who wanted to be known only as Mrs Yap.
Police has classified the case as one of mischief. Those found guilty can be jailed up to one year, fined, or both. If the loss or damage amounts to $500 and above, the person can be jailed up to two years, fined, or both.
By 7pm yesterday, some of the victims were still unaware of the incident.
Letters urging them to get in touch with the police were left on their vehicle windscreens.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
