A 49-year-old man from Singapore has been arrested by the Indian Police Service over his alleged use of a pair of camera-fitted smart glasses inside the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, India. Indian news outlet The Hindu said the man is of Sri Lankan descent and resides at Punggol Northshore in Singapore. He was identified by one name, Thiruneepanar. The incident happened at about 9.25am on Saturday (Dec 20), The Hindu reported. Thiruneepanar allegedly recorded visuals of the temple's northern side and a designated area for religious rites known as the Thulabharam mandapam. His actions were noticed by temple security personnel and he was referred to the local police. Thiruneepanar is now being investigated for disobedience of a lawful order and has been served a notice to appear for further police investigations. Checks online by AsiaOne indicate that, due to the temple's religious significance, image capturing or recording is forbidden. Earlier in July, a 66-year-old local man was also arrested for a similar offence at the temple. [[nid:713387]]

Large crowds are expected in Orchard Road on Christmas Eve and the police will be implementing security and traffic arrangements such as enhanced patrols and road closures to keep revellers safe. In a media release on Monday (Dec 22), the police said the arrangements will be in place from the evening of Dec 24. «Police officers, auxiliary police officers, and security officers will be deployed to manage crowds in the vicinity of Orchard Road,» said the police, adding that crowd control barricades and directional signages will also be deployed. Certain entrances and exits of Orchard MRT Station may also be closed to regulate crowd flow, and the police advised using Somerset MRT Station or other public transport options. Those visiting Orchard Road are encouraged to check the Crowd@OrchardRoad map to view real-time crowd levels and area closures. The platform will be accessible from 5pm on Dec 24. 

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a 74-year-old man. In a news release on Monday (Dec 22), the police said Chan Tuck Chew was last seen in the vicinity of Block 505 Jelapang Road at about 4am on Sunday. Chan suffers from dementia and Parkinson's, and was last seen wearing a grey-and-white checkered polo shirt, his family told Mothership.According to the family, this is not the first time he has wandered off, but he would usually be found within an hour or two. «It's already been over 30 hours. We are afraid he pass out with no food or water,» a family member reportedly said. The police urged anyone with information to contact their hotline at 1800-255- 0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information will be kept strictly confidential.[[nid:727068]]xingying.koh@asiaone.com

A 73-year-old man died after a fight at the Koufu food court at Woodlands Mart on Sunday (Dec 21).The victim had apparently got into a dispute with a 57-year-old man, which escalated into a scuffle, said the police, who received calls for help at around 9.20pm. Officers arrived at the incident location at Block 768 Woodlands Avenue 6 and found the elderly man unconscious. He was taken by officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force to Woodlands Health Campus, where he later died.The 57-year-old man was arrested the same day for causing grievous hurt, said the police in statement on Monday.He will be charged in court on Tuesday. If found guilty of his charge, the suspect faces up to 10 years' jail, along with a fine or caning. [[nid:725220]]xingying.koh@asiaone.com

Two infractions related to active mobility devices were caught on separate dashcam footages on Sunday (Dec 21). The first case involves an elderly man seen using his personal mobility aid (PMA) along the slip road from the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) towards Clementi Avenue 6. The incident allegedly occurred at about 10.30am. In a video posted to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante, the elderly man is seen moving slowly along the slip road. He is seen glancing over to his left as a BYD electric car approaches him. Thankfully for the elderly PMA user, the driver is seen slowing down. He even turns on his hazard lights and is seen making a slow manoeuvre around the PMA — to warn other oncoming motorists to the presence of the man. In response to AsiaOne's queries, a police spokesperson said they received a call for assistance. However, officers dispatched to the scene could not locate the PMA or the elderly man. It is not known if the elderly man made his way off the road on his own, or if he was assisted by a passing motorist. 

Two Singaporean men were arrested in Johor Bahru on Sunday (Dec 21) after being involved in two separate altercations — one of which took place inside a police station.  The first incident began after the wife of one of the suspects called out the other for running into her and spilling beer on her, reported Malaysian news outlet The Star. Johor Bahru South police chief Raub Selamat said the two men, aged 46 and 56, were involved in a brawl at a shopping mall at around 5.20pm, which required intervention by officers. «At 6.15pm the same day, one of the suspects was filing a report at the police station when the other suspect attacked him, leading to another fight,» said Assistant Commissioner Raub. He added that both suspects sustained minor injuries and were taken to a local hospital for treatment. According to videos shared on social media, two men in T-shirts can be seen exchanging blows as cans — believed to be beer — fall to the ground. 

A Grab driver did not get upset when a child she was ferrying vomited in her car, but reacted with kindness and was later rewarded by the child's mother.The private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver, Ang Ee Xin, shared her experience in the Goodman PHV SG Facebook group.The incident occurred on Dec 20 at around 8.50am when she accepted a ride to take a family to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.When they were close to the destination, the girl unexpectedly vomited all over her clothes and seatbelt.«The smell of vomit filled the car immediately,» said Ang.She remained quiet and «felt bad» because she was not prepared for such a situation.Ang comforted the girl and offered her some lavender, encouraging her to smell it so that she would feel better.«The mum looked at me. She felt terrible and kept apologising,» Ang said. She reassured the mother and drove off, unaffected by the incident.Ang said: «I went home, cleaned everything myself, and did what I could. I kept telling myself — children don't do this on purpose.»

What began as a routine grocery run turned into a heartwarming encounter after a customer spotted a lunch spread prepared for Sheng Siong staff and shared it online, earning praise from netizens. In a Reddit post shared on Sunday (Dec 22), the customer noted that the supermarket had arranged the lunch spread for its staff, describing the gesture as «heartwarming» and expressing hope that more local companies would do the same. «Went to buy groceries and noticed them (having) a lunch break with a big spread, for what I assume would be a Christmas lunch. Really quite heartwarming to see,» the caption read. In the comments section, several netizens praised the supermarket for its compassionate culture and the thoughtful actions of its staff. 

A lorry which wrongly entered the motorcycle departure lane at Woodlands Checkpoint early on Sunday (Dec 21) got itself stuck for a few hours. A photo uploaded to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante showed the Singapore-registered lorry tilted to its right side, having seemingly mounted the left kerb. The vehicle was also wedged between a metal fence to its left and a road barrier to its right. Another post by Facebook user Farizatul Firdaus showed Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and auxiliary police officers standing behind the lorry. In response to AsiaOne's queries, ICA said the incident occurred at 4.19am. The authority closed the lane to clear debris while departing motorcyclists were diverted to the car zone for clearance. The incident was cleared at around 12.40pm and there were no injuries, said ICA. 

A 26-year-old Singaporean man who was arrested on Sunday (Dec 21) for allegedly staging a fake improvised explosive device incident at St Joseph's Church in Bukit Timah was charged in court on Monday morning (Dec 22). Kokulananthan Mohan was charged under the United Nations (Anti-terrorism Measures) Regulations.Charge sheets seen by AsiaOne show that he is accused of making a false terrorist threat by placing three cardboard rolls «filled with stone pebbles and sporting protruding red wires, held together using black and yellow adhesive tapes» in the church at about 7.10am on Sunday. He is alleged to have done so with the intention of inducing another person to falsely believe that the article would explode, thereby causing personal injury or damage to property.The police said that Mohan is believed to have acted alone.«There is currently no evidence to suggest that it was a religiously motivated attack or an act of terror,» added the police.Mohan has been remanded for three weeks for psychiatric evaluation.If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both.

Parliament will not only debate Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh's convictions when it sits in January next year, but also a parliamentary committee's findings in 2022 that Workers' Party's (WP) Sylvia Lim and Faisal Manap had lied under oath, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah on Monday (Dec 22). In a follow-up statement issued in her capacity as Leader of the House, Indranee said that the court's judgements on Pritam Singh «have implications» for both Lim and Faisal, adding that the Committee of Privileges' (COP) findings have now been «borne out» by the judgements.«The COP found that Ms Lim and Mr Faisal (Manap) had both lied under oath when they denied that, at the meeting in August 2021 which they attended, Ms Raeesah Khan was told to hide her untruth. »The COP's findings have been borne out by the court judgements," Indranee added.She was responding to media's query on whether Parliament would also be discussing follow-up actions with regard to WP chair Sylvia Lim and then-WP MP Faisal Manap.

It was a long night for one Porsche owner after he unwittingly ran over a drive shaft that had fallen on an expressway.The incident occurred just after midnight on Saturday (Dec 20) along the Seletar Expressway towards the Central Expressway, reported Shin Min Daily News.The Porsche owner, surnamed Lin, told the Chinese evening daily that he did not have time to avoid the accident.«I wasn't driving very fast, at about 90kmh, but because it was so sudden, I couldn't avoid it,» said the 61-year-old.When he pulled over, Lin saw two cars stopped along the road shoulder ahead. He added that three or four more vehicles similarly ran over the drive shaft.The car's right tyres were punctured, and the rims damaged.According to a photo taken by Lin, the drive shaft was later moved to the side of the road and his car towed to the nearest carpark.The man added that an affected car owner had spoken to a lorry driver at the carpark, who reportedly admitted that the drive shaft had fallen off the lorry.

The body of a 28-year-old man was recovered from the waters off East Coast Park on Sunday (Dec 21) evening.Videos of the search and rescue efforts posted on social media show a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) disaster and rescue team (Dart) vehicle, an ambulance and two police fast response cars at the incident site.A SCDF marine rescue vessel is also seen plying the waters off the beach.In response to AsiaOne's queries, SCDF said that they received a call for water rescue assistance at about 12pm on Sunday.«Upon arrival, SCDF deployed firefighters to conduct a visual search from the shore. Divers from Dart also conducted underwater search at the area where the person was last seen, while SCDF's marine firefighters on board a marine rescue vessel plied the nearby waters,» SCDF added.He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.Following preliminary investigations, police said the man is believed to have drowned and do not suspect foul play.Investigations are ongoing.[[nid:725336]]editor@asiaone.com