5-hour search in Hillview by police, including Gurkhas, for man allegedly spotted in drain wearing only underwear
BY LORAINE LEE
Published May 25, 2023
Updated May 25, 2023
Police and workers fill trash bags with items retrieved from inside a drain along a footpath on Hume Avenue on May 25, 2023. More than 30 bags were seen filled and loaded into a waste management vehicle.
www.todayonline.com
At about 12.30pm, the police officers and waste management workers left the scene.
TODAY also left the scene at that time. By that time, the man did not appear to have been found.
Mr Ilano and other onlookers told TODAY they were surprised by the police presence on Thursday morning.
The route between Hume Avenue and the Rail Corridor is often crowded in the morning with those looking for a morning walk or run, or to get breakfast at the Rail Mall nearby.
One resident at condominium Symphony Heights, who declined to reveal her name or age, said that she noticed the police at around 7.30am on her morning run.
"I wonder what is happening, nobody will say anything," she said, adding that she hoped that nothing unfortunate had happened.
A woman in her 70s, who also declined to be named, said that the commotion was surprising for the usually quiet neighbourhood. She had noticed the unfolding drama at around 9.30am while on the way to buy groceries at the Rail Mall.
TODAY has asked PUB about legal penalties applying to those who enter drains without the authority to do so.
National daily The Straits Times reported in 2017 that those who enter waterways, including drains, without prior approval may be fined up to S$3,000.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NURIA LING
