A 22-year-old woman, Nur Syafiqa Abdullah, has been sentenced to nine weeks in jail and fined S$600 for posting TikTok videos where she chanted gang slogans in exchange for virtual gifts.
Virtual gifts can be redeemed as cash.
Nur, who pleaded guilty to charges related to secret society activity and traffic violations, was arrested after her videos went viral on social media.
Here’s what happened.
Series of TikTok Videos Reciting Gang Slogans
The controversy surrounding Nur began in May 2023, when she posted her first TikTok livestream from her home in Sengkang, where she chanted slogans linked to the “Sio Kun Tong” secret society.
This livestream, which garnered around 357,800 views, also earned her virtual gifts through TikTok’s gifting function.
Encouraged by this initial success, Nur repeated the act in June, receiving virtual gifts valued at S$83 as her video gained even more traction, with nearly 487,300 views.
In July 2023, Nur took her live streams outdoors, filming herself chanting gang slogans outside an eatery at East Coast Park.
This video, the most viral of the four, received about 499,200 views.
Later that same month, she recorded a final video while on the Slingshot ride in Clarke Quay, again performing gang-related chants.
Her actions, aimed at attracting attention and making money, eventually caught the eye of the authorities after a man reported her TikTok activities in August 2023, accusing her of promoting secret societies.
Arrest and Further Offenses
Nur was arrested on 24 August 2023 after her videos gained widespread attention, with views ranging between 270,800 and 499,200.
Now, for the uninitiated, that is considered very high.
Despite being released the same day, she was involved in a separate incident four months later.
In December 2023, Nur was caught riding a motorcycle in Kaki Bukit without a valid driver’s license. This led to further legal consequences.
On 6 September 2024, Nur pleaded guilty to charges of acting as a secret society member and multiple traffic offenses. Three additional charges were considered during her sentencing, which took place yesterday (24 October 2024).
To know more about secret societies in Singapore, watch this to the end:
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
