SINGAPORE – Boys will be boys, it seems.

During a March 2 police raid at an Orchard Road KTV lounge where 14 men and 48 women were arrested over a four-day anti-crime operation targeting entertainment outlets and massage parlours, a man was found with an e-vaporiser and refused to provide his e-mail details when asked.

He was with a group of five other men in a private room, reported The Straits Times on March 8.

As officers quizzed him, one of the other male patrons raised his voice and said: “We are not gangsters. We are ACS boys.”

ACS stands for Anglo-Chinese School, and the quote has gone viral online after being highlighted on Reddit and elsewhere.

One Redditor commented: “This is the funniest thing I have seen this decade. They used ‘we are ACS boys’ as some kind of proof?”

Another said: “Was he trying to imply ‘my parents are rich and influential’? Why would anyone even say that in a situation he’s in? Sigh, there’s always that one friend.”

Netizens have come up with T-shirt designs emblazoned with the quote, which has inspired a song with the same title.

Others on social media also got in on the fun.

Local blogger and former ACS boy Lee Kin Mun, better known as mrbrown, took a dig at the saga in a video posted on social media.

Singaporean author Gwee Li Sui also wrote on Facebook: “How many ACS boys does it take to change a light bulb? None. We are not electricians. We are ACS boys.”

Among ACS’ notable alumni are President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, Olympic swimming champion Joseph Schooling and Mandopop star JJ Lin. THE NEW PAPER