PUBLISHED ONOctober 17, 2025 11:15 PMBYSean LerAn accident involving a van in Serangoon on Wednesday night (Oct 15) took a twist when the male driver tried to flee with a bag containing 44 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes.
The 31-year-old was not injured and was arrested later.
The crash happened at around 11.05pm along Upper Serangoon Road, in front of Hotel 81 Kovan.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident.
A regular patron of An-Nur Restaurant, located at the ground floor of the hotel, told AsiaOne that patrons at the coffeeshop were initially unfazed as accidents happen along this stretch of Upper Serangoon Road.
"But the driver didn't come out (of the van) even after a few minutes," the patron, who did not want to be named, said.
"So, I went up to the vehicle to check on him as engine oil was already leaking from the van," said the man in his 60s.
He then called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) as he was worried that the vehicle would catch fire.
Then, the driver stumbled out of the van with a black trash bag in his right hand.
According to eyewitnesses at the coffeeshop, he walked down the adjacent Kampong Sireh before stopping to use his phone.
Based on the coffeeshop's CCTV footage seen by AsiaOne, the black trash bag was full.
Meanwhile, as SCDF paramedics and Traffic Police (TP) officers arrived and brought him back to an ambulance for checks, a TP officer checked the black trash bag which was dropped on the road.
The bystanders were surprised to see cartons of cigarettes inside.
At around 12.30am, Singapore Customs officers arrived at the scene, inspected the confiscated packets of cigarettes and arrested the driver.
Police told AsiaOne that he refused to be taken to a hospital.
"He was subsequently found to be in possession of 44 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes and handed over to Singapore Customs.
"He is also assisting with the offence of careless driving," said a police spokesperson, adding that investigations are ongoing.
In response to AsiaOne's queries, a Singapore Customs spokesperson confirmed that the agency is investigating the case.
Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are considered serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act.
If found guilty, offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.
Vehicles used in the commission of such offences and proceeds of sales of duty-unpaid cigarettes are also liable to be forfeited.
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