Two women were arrested following an alleged fight with a neighbour at a Housing Board flat along North Bridge Road on March 13. The authorities are also investigating the pair for suspected drug-related offences.
The police said that they received a call for help at about 4.05 pm at Block 7 North Bridge Road. When officers arrived, they found that a 57-year-old woman had locked herself inside her unit after an alleged dispute with a 56-year-old male neighbour.
Additional emergency units were activated after authorities assessed that the woman might pose a danger to herself. Officers from the Singapore Police Force Special Operations Command, the Singapore Police Force Crisis Negotiation Unit and the Singapore Civil Defence Force were deployed to the scene.
According to the civil defence force, a safety life air pack was also put on standby as a precautionary measure during the operation.
The police later managed to gain entry into the flat at around 5.05 pm, where they found two women inside the unit. Both women, aged 52 and 57, were subsequently arrested.
Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao reported that preliminary investigations showed the two women had earlier argued with their male neighbour along the 11th-floor corridor,
Residents living on the same floor told the newspaper that the pair had been staying together in the unit for about six years and were frequently heard quarrelling. An elderly neighbour surnamed Guo said the Malay woman would sometimes apologise to residents for the noise, explaining that her housemate was dealing with depression.
He added that the male neighbour involved in the dispute had only moved into the block toward the end of last year and generally kept to himself.
Another resident said she was asleep when the commotion began and woke up to the sound of an argument and objects hitting the wall. Feeling unsafe, she chose not to open her door.
No visible bloodstains or signs of a struggle were found at the scene. However, a pair of scissors was discovered in the corridor outside the women's unit, while two swords were recovered inside the flat and seized as evidence.
The police added that the two women were arrested for offences including voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous means, committing a rash act, and suspected drug-related offences.
The 52-year-old woman was taken conscious to hospital, while the 56-year-old man sustained minor injuries but declined medical treatment.
Authorities added that the suspected drug-related offences have been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau for further investigation. The police investigations are still ongoing.
