Man tried to frame creditors by setting fire at a garbage chute, went home like nothing happened

SINGAPORE: Consider it a prank gone wrong, but a man set a fire to the garbage chute in his HDB flat as a joke, claiming that he was being chased by creditors and wanting to frame them.

The 29-year-old suspect now faces four charges of mischievous arson and one count of intentional assault, which he pleaded guilty to two of the charges, and the remaining to be considered by the judge during sentencing. 

Case details 

According to investigations, the suspect used a lighter to set fire to several plastic bags in the garbage bins of his home in Punggol, and then went home as if nothing happened. A concerned member of the public saw the garbage bin on fire and called the Singapore Civil Defence Force to take the appropriate actions. 

Luckily, the fire was quickly extinguished, but its effects damaged walls and water pipes. When the authorities identified the suspect and questioned him, the suspect revealed that he previously borrowed money from creditors, and due to the pressure of repayment, he committed arson in an attempt to frame the creditors. 

Knowing that his actions were wrong, the suspect still set fire to the garbage chute, burning the mattress and plastic bags that were placed in the area. Later on, the suspect also went outside of his porch to smoke, and when he saw bags of clothes, a guitar, and two boards outside of his neighbor’s door, he lit them with a lighter and went home afterwards. The members of the public noticed something on fire and notified the civil defense forces, which responded to the concern. 

Unfortunately, the suspect committed arson four times as a prank, and it caused damage to the walls, ceiling, lights, wiring, and water pipes of the garbage chute. With this, he paid $260 in repair costs. 

Other related news

In similar news related to fire concerns, there was a report where a fire broke out in an Auto Repair Building at Xinmin, causing thick smoke to spread into the five-story high building. 

According to reports, a black Ford Ranger vehicle was parked in front of the shop with one door and hood open, and the engine of the vehicle was burned. 

Read more about the story here.