Former Singapore Idol Hady Mirza's drug arrest was kept secret

Friends and relatives of Hady Mirza were kept in the dark about his recent drug arrest, with only his mother and wife aware of his secret.

They were shocked to read about the 2006 Singapore Idol winner's trouble with the law when The New Paper broke the news yesterday.

Some relatives who spoke to TNP on condition of anonymity said they then got in touch with Hady's mother, Madam Mardiana Ahmad, 62, who confirmed the arrest.

More details have emerged about the arrest of the 38-year-old singer-turned-entrepreneur-turned-Grab driver, whose real name is Muhammad Mirzahady Amir.

He is understood to have been caught at a land immigration checkpoint for offences involving the drug marijuana, and was later sent to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) in the Changi Prison complex.

A female relative told TNP yesterday: "Only his mother and wife knew that he had been arrested. They didn't tell anyone else in the family.

"When we called his mother, she told us that it was true, and reassured us that he was fine and would come out okay."

Madam Mardiana told relatives that she did not want to speak to the media.

TNP understands that she is living in Johor Baru, Malaysia, with Hady's Malaysian wife, Ms Nurjannah Nur Wahid, 25, and they do not have plans to come to Singapore.

Hady had been spending time on both sides of the Causeway before his arrest.

He was featured numerous times in the media over the years after winning the second season of Singapore Idol in 2006.

He went on to become the first Asian Idol in 2007, and released two albums in 2006 and 2009, with the first achieving platinum status within four days of its release.

He also co-founded local group FRHM Youth in 2013, an organisation that promotes Muslim education and way of life among young people.

But he was struck off as the group's director in 2014, the year that he married his wife in Johor Baru in a wedding attended by about 2,000 guests.

A partner of FRHM Youth told TNP yesterday that Hady had cut off involvement with the group and its partners after choosing to focus on his business.

Hady went on to start a home-based chilli tempeh snack business under the name Tempting Trading in 2016.

A business search shows the company licence was cancelled after its business registration was not renewed in May this year.

A report in January this year revealed that Hady had become a Grab driver.

When TNP visited his condominium unit in Sengkang yesterday, it appeared that no one was there.

One of his close friends in the entertainment industry said the community was still supportive of him.

She said: "He used to make mistakes in his younger days, but then in 2011, he told me he was going to turn his life around.

"I saw for myself how he made a 180 degree change, giving back to the community and putting others before himself."

She added that the community will continue to encourage him when he comes out of DRC.

"I believe that it was in a moment of weakness that this happened, and we will encourage him and help him overcome his challenges when he comes out."

It was previously reported that those caught for drug consumption are sent to DRC for treatment and rehabilitation.

DRC inmates can be detained for up to three years and will not have a criminal record when they are released.

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.