Four men have been charged with causing public nuisance and using abusive language against a police officer at a crime scene in Little India, which officers had cordoned off to investigate an alleged murder. The men: Md Dino Marciano Abdul Wahab, Alex Kumar Gnansekaran, Mohamed Eusof Mohamed Yahiya, and Mohanan V Balakrishnan allegedly shouted at police officers at about 5.10am last Sunday, using phrases such as “You talked like a gangster, you know, we all scared, you know”, “We are paying tax, we are paying our ****ing tax” and “I can show you 100 per cent gangster.”
According to a press release from the police, the officers were preserving “a murder crime scene” along Sam Leong Road at about 5.10am on Sunday when the four men approached. They allegedly tried to cross the cordoned-off area, but were advised to use an alternative route. “Three of the men then allegedly taunted and used abusive language against the officers, while the fourth man purportedly filmed the interactions with his mobile phone,” said the police.
Despite the provocative behavior of the four men, the officers exercised restraint and strived to de-escalate the situation, even as they were tending to the ongoing murder investigation. The police emphasized that they will not hesitate to take action against persons who obstruct public servants carrying out their duties and against persons who use abusive behavior towards their officers. Any person found guilty of using abusive language against a public servant can be jailed up to a year, fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,900) or both. Those found guilty of causing public nuisance face a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to S$2,000 or both.
The four men charged on Wednesday are unrelated to the alleged murder, and are reportedly seeking legal representation. Further investigations are ongoing and the four men might face additional charges. They will be back in court on Oct 8.
The incident took place in the back lane of Sam Leong Road in Little India, where an alleged murder had taken place involving Muhammad Sajid Saleem, 22, who was charged with the murder of a 25-year-old along Verdun Road.
