Delivery rider Ang Cheng Shin, also known as Hong Zhenxun, was sentenced to 15 months in jail for making false bomb threats targeting the headquarters of DBS in Marina Bay. According to court documents, Ang pleaded guilty to “an amalgamated charge of communicating false information about a harmful thing.”
He had accumulated credit card debt with DBS amounting to about S$11,500 (US$8,550) by the end of 2023, stemming from a debt of about S$650 incurred in 2011. Despite agreeing to a repayment plan, Ang failed to make any repayments between January and May of the following year.
During this time, Ang repeatedly received automated calls from DBS, which he answered and redirected to customer service operators. In one of these calls on May 27, Ang falsely claimed he would plant a bomb at the bank’s headquarters, triggering a police response.
Ang’s bomb hoax led to a significant mobilization of both bank employees and police officers to investigate the threat, causing undue panic and disrupting essential services. Deputy Public Prosecutor Hidayat Amin emphasized the severity of such offenses, stating that “Catastrophic consequences may follow from the slightest miscalculation.”
Despite pleading for a lighter sentence due to personal circumstances, Ang faced the possibility of up to 14 years in jail and a fine of up to S$100,000 for communicating false information about a harmful thing.
