SINGAPORE - A 21-year-old man has been arrested for his suspected involvement in setting off fireworks illegally in Little India during the Deepavali long weekend last year.
Police said in a statement on Monday (Jan 20) that the man was arrested on Oct 27, after they responded to an incident in Owen Road earlier at 1.20am.
The suspect is expected to be charged in court on Tuesday with the offence of discharging dangerous fireworks.
If found guilty, he could be fined between $2,000 and $10,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.
Last year, at least two other men were arrested for allegedly setting off fireworks illegally in separate incidents in Little India and Jurong.
In the Little India case, a 43-year-old man was arrested, while a 38-year-old man was nabbed in the Jurong case.
The 43-year-old was a Singaporean nightclub employee who was later fined $3,000 on Dec 31 after he discharged a carton of dangerous "Happy Boom" fireworks in Little India during Deepavali.
For the 38-year-old man, his alleged act was filmed in a 23-second video posted on Facebook, with fireworks seen between two Housing Board blocks, as residents in a nearby block of flats watch from the corridor.
The video shows the fireworks reaching as high as the 12th storey of a nearby flat, even ricocheting off the walls of the building.
Fireworks were banned on safety grounds in 1972 although they are allowed at certain events after appropriate safety measures are adopted.
In March last year, a 54-year-old cleaner was fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to unlawfully discharging fireworks in Bukit Batok.
He was the first person to be convicted of the offence under the Dangerous Fireworks Act.
On Monday, the police reminded the public that it is an offence to possess, sell, transport, send, deliver, distribute or import fireworks.
"The police have zero tolerance against acts that endanger the lives or safety of others as well as cause undue alarm to the public, and will not hesitate to take action against those who blatantly disregard the law," they added.
