According to a report by CNA, Vellu Pillai P Sivakkumar admitted to one charge of committing mischief by fire with intent to cause damage to property. A second charge of wrongfully confining the occupants in the unit will be taken into consideration during sentencing. The flat's occupant, a 41-year-old Singaporean man, was living there with his wife, two young children aged three and nine, his sister, and his parents at the time of the incident. Citing court documents, CNA reported that before the fire, the occupant had run into financial difficulties and allegedly scammed multiple people. These people subsequently demanded repayment with interest and also issued threats against him. The man is currently under investigation for the alleged scamming offences.   Paid S$2,500 to lock the door of a unit and set it on fire   According to CNA, Sivakkumar, who resided in Johor Bahru, was also facing financial difficulties himself in late 2023 and had reached out to friends in Malaysia seeking odd jobs. In late November 2023, he received a job offer through a text message from an unknown person, which required him to lock the door of a residential unit and set it on fire. He initially declined the offer, but later accepted it after being promised payment of S$2,500 and a S$400 deposit upfront. The following day, he met an unknown man who handed him an envelope containing the deposit. He subsequently received details of the specific unit he was to target and purchased a bicycle lock in preparation. In the wee hours of the morning on Dec. 8, 2023, Sivakkumar siphoned petrol from his motorcycle into an empty water bottle before making his way to the vicinity of the flat. He then changed his clothes and donned a mask to conceal his identity. At around 4:25am, he was also seen on camera opening an umbrella while going up the last few flights of stairs in another attempt to obscure his face from surveillance. When he reached the unit, he locked the gate with the bicycle lock to prevent those inside from escaping. He then splashed petrol over the door and gate before setting it alight. The fire was said to have spread so rapidly that Sivakkumar himself was caught off guard and stepped back to avoid the flames. He then photographed the burning door, sent the image to the person who had hired him, and fled the scene.   No one was injured   The occupant's father discovered the fire just before 4:42am after waking up to use the toilet, CNA reported. After noticing a burning smell and hearing what he described as a "loud explosion", he realised the front door was ablaze and quickly woke the rest of the family. The occupant's wife reviewed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from a camera outside the unit, which had captured the incident, and called the police. The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force officers arrived at the scene and evacuated all family members safely. No injuries were reported, though the incident left scorch marks on the door and floor of the unit. Damage to the digital locks on the door and gate amounted to approximately S$4,000 in repair costs.   Arrest   Sivakkumar left Singapore and returned to Johor Bahru later that morning at around 5:10am, and remained there throughout the investigations, CNA reported. He was arrested on Sep. 4, 2025, after surrendering to Malaysian police, who handed him over to the Singapore Police Force at Woodlands Checkpoint on the same day. He was produced in court on Sep. 6, 2025, and has remained in remand since. Sivakkumar is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on May 22. For the charge of mischief by fire, he faces a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment and a fine.   https://mothership.sg/2026/05/msian-man-set-fire-flat-alleged-scammer/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHi3U0bOqQLVhWenkn2-V0nOhxSKy_DqlzTF4fswmGzdoc1KYJZs2tekywmqW_aem_WtO-GG0C8Ul6WdHtwT4mqQ

That's a damn shitty way to go

Video unavailable 

@Cybertan