Woman Locked Herself in Her Home For Hours & Tried To Chase the SCDF Off by Telling Them, “I Have The Money To Pay”

2021-09-10 , 5:11 pm

The mind is a complex thing. On one hand, it could gear you up to achieve the greatest feat of your life. And yet on the other hand…

It could become your own worst enemy.

It may be unthinkable to on your air-con 24 hours a day for an entire year, but it seems that such a “feat” has indeed been done before.

On 7 September 2021, at around 7:30 pm, residents at Block 607, Clementi Street 1 were treated to a rude awakening:

Police cars, fire trucks, fully-armed police officers and even Special Operation Command (SOC) convoys were on-site for an operation.

And their target? A 51-year-old woman who, apart from being a danger to herself, had turned on the air-con 24/7 for the last one year.

Utterly horrifying stuff.

Said to have lived alone, the woman was usually cold and rarely greeted neighbours.

She also tended to behave in an abnormal manner.

It wasn’t until 7 September 2021, however, that the woman was rescued from her own mind.

Following the arrival of the vehicles, the SCDF approached a lower-floor unit to ask for the use of their kitchen window.

Apparently, they needed to cast a safety net.

During the standoff, the woman had reportedly yelled, “I have the money to pay (the electric bills).”

She was presumably referring to the usage of the air-con services.

The SOC and SCDF then, after receiving a report, proceeded to break into the said woman’s residential unit.

She was subsequently taken in under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act.

Thankfully, nobody was injured in the process.

When asked, the SCDF stated that safety air cushions, as well as a disaster rescue team had been deployed as a precautionary measure.

In total, the standstill is believed to have lasted around three hours.

Similar

Back in August this year, an incident of a similar nature had occurred in Ang Mo Kio.

A woman, who was suspected of drug offences, had locked herself in her flat around three hours.

The woman was even spotted sitting near a window, and reportedly threatened to harm herself.

This led to the deployment of several SCDF and police officers, as well as officers from the Crisis Negotiation Unit and Special Operations Command.

The woman was eventually taken in under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act.

Whatever the reason, if you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, you can call the following helplines:

Samaritans of Singapore: 1800 221-4444 (24 hours)

Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800 283-7019 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm)

National Care Hotline: 1800-202-6868 (8am-12am)

Brahm Centre Assistline: 6655-0000 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm)