A 21‑year‑old Indian national, Rahul Singh, was charged in Singapore on 24 June 2025 with voluntarily causing hurt by a dangerous weapon and criminal intimidation.
The accusations stem from a violent confrontation in Ang Mo Kio linked to his alleged activities as an illegal sub‑landlord in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat.
Singh, described as acting in the role of “”sublandlord”, allegedly sublet a three‑room HDB flat at Block 513 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 to at least 16 migrant workers, as reported by Shin Min Daily News.
According to tenant Rajdeep, 22, this led to severe overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions.
HDB rules permit a maximum of six tenants in such a flat, with only two bedrooms available.
Overcrowding and subletting allegations
As a result, Rajdeep and two others ended up sharing one bedroom, while Singh and additional tenants occupied the other bedroom and the living room.
Rajdeep, who moved in seven months ago via a property agent, said the noise was incessant at night and common areas—kitchen and toilets—became “really dirty.”
He emphasised that repeated complaints were met with threats from Singh, who told them they could leave.
Rajdeep further alleged that Singh profited heavily from the subletting scheme, collecting at least S$6,000 per month, while official rent for the flat is approximately S$3,000.
During an argument on the night of 23 June, Singh is accused of fetching a kitchen knife and attacking one of the tenants.
Confrontation escalated to violence
When his first attack failed, he allegedly swung again. Rajdeep claimed he intervened to protect his roommate and was struck on his left hand between thumb and index finger.
The slash required seven stitches.
“He did not manage to slash anyone on his first try. When he swung the knife again, I blocked the blade with my hand to protect my roommate.
When he saw my hand was injured, he was shocked,” said Rajdeep, as quoted by Shin Min Daily News.
Singh purportedly fled after discarding the knife and was later arrested following a police tip‑off.
Both the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force received a call at around 12:50 am on 23 June.
The 22‑year‑old was conscious and taken to Sengkang General Hospital with non‑life‑threatening injuries.
Singh was arrested and is currently remanded, assisting with investigations into both the weapon charge and criminal intimidation. He will return to court on 8 July.
Rajdeep, who works as a hotel waiter, said he was discharged from hospital at about 5 am and placed on two weeks’ medical leave.
He is due to return in 10 days to have the stitches removed.
He expressed frustration that, despite awareness of the illegality of the subletting arrangement, Singh continued the practice.
He added that the overcrowding made the flat uncomfortable and unhygienic.
86 people fined or prosecuted for illegal short-term rentals since 2019
In September 2024, a property agent famously confronted a tenant group after discovering 12 occupants in an HDB flat.
Similarly, in 2019, a four‑room HDB flat was found to house 24 tenants—four times the permitted number.
That flat reportedly contained three double‑decker bunk beds per bedroom and unauthorised partitions in the living room.
Since 2019, authorities have fined 64 individuals for illegally renting out private homes for short‑term stays under three months, with 15 prosecuted.
Seven others were penalised for renting HDB flats for less than six months.
On 3 July 2024, the Housing Board and Urban Redevelopment Authority reiterated their commitment to strict enforcement against unauthorised short‑term leasing, warning that no leniency would be shown to offenders.
In Sept 2021, Indian national jailed for illegal subletting to 12 tenants, aided by HDB officer’s tip-offs
In September 2021, Indian national Damandeep Singh, 23, was jailed for 25 days for receiving illegal tip-offs from a HDB enforcement officer to evade detection during raids on an overcrowded unit he was subletting.
Damandeep had sublet the unit to 12 to 13 people, collecting around S$200 from each. His friend, Kalayarasan Karuppaya, 55, who was an HDB officer, warned him about upcoming inspections on at least two occasions.
These warnings allowed the illegal tenants to vacate before checks, helping Damandeep avoid immediate detection.
The offences were uncovered after the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau received a tip-off in 2020.
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