SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A drunken teenage girl, four alleged gang members and a suspected drug offender caught vaping were among the people arrested by the police in the early hours of Sept 12.
In an operation targeting gang activity at public entertainment outlets, the police checked close to 100 people and 18 outlets in Rochor Canal Road and Little India.
Seven people, aged 16 to 44, were arrested, and five vapes were seized.
The media observed the police conducting checks on several public entertainment outlets in a mall in the Rochor area on Sept 12.
Such outlets typically have a stage area, and patrons pay to hang flower garlands and sashes on female performers.
Outside one outlet in the mall, the police arrested two men aged 44 and 24 for being suspected members of unlawful societies.
There, they also caught a 40-year-old man who was vaping and arrested him for suspected drug offences.
The Central Narcotics Bureau is investigating.
As the police raid teams made their way to Little India nearby, they spotted a 38-year-old vaping at an eatery on Dunlop Street.
His devices were seized, and his case was referred to the Health Sciences Authority.
In Little India, the police arrested four more people.
Two of them, aged 31 and 28, are suspected members of unlawful societies.
The police also arrested a 16-year-old girl who was drunk and allegedly had a forged electronic record, and a 22-year-old man who allegedly hurt a public servant and used abusive words towards him.
The raids come after a brawl in Rochor Canal Road that left two people with stab wounds.
The incident happened on Sept 7 outside a pub, and led to four men being charged with rioting with deadly weapons.
The first half of 2025 saw more violent crimes, such as knife attacks.
Commander of Central Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Wong Keng Hoe, said the police have zero tolerance towards any secret society activities that threaten public safety, peace, and order in Singapore.
He added: “We will not hesitate to take action against errant outlets and against those who choose to associate with secret societies.”
Those convicted of being a member of an unlawful society can be jailed for up to three years and fined up to S$10,000 (RM33,000). - The Straits Times/Asia News Network
