2 men arrested for setting off fireworks in Little India

SINGAPORE - Two men, aged 29 and 48, have been arrested over their suspected involvement in discharging dangerous fireworks.

Early on Tuesday (Nov 6), at around 12am, bursts of fireworks exploding in the skies along Gloucester Road, near Little India, were spotted by a police officer.

The police said that officers from Central Police Division established the identities of the two men involved in setting off the fireworks through ground inquiries. They were arrested on the same day.

Police investigations are ongoing.

A video of the fireworks has been making its rounds on social media. On a Facebook group titled SG Road Vigilante - SGRV, the video, which was posted on Tuesday afternoon, has over 116,000 views and attracted over 3,400 shares.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/SGRVigilante/videos/1932136720214369/?t=0[/embed]

The video was accompanied by a post which read: "Illegal fireworks being set off at Race Course Road. Singapore police officers can be seen rushing towards the scene."

The post ended by wishing people a happy Diwali or Deepavali, an annual Hindu holiday which falls on the same day.

Several netizens left comments speculating that the fireworks were set to celebrate the holiday, which is also known as the Festival of Lights.

Setting fireworks in Singapore without obtaining prior permission from the authorities is illegal.

Under the Dangerous Fireworks Act, anyone convicted of discharging dangerous fireworks can be fined between $2,000 and $10,000, jailed for up to two years or both.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.