A 27-year-old Sri Lankan man was arrested on Wednesday (8 April) after overstaying in Singapore for about 10 months and living without a fixed address.
He was found sleeping at the rooftop garden of a multi-storey car park in Woodlands during an early morning enforcement operation.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, the operation, which lasted about 15 minutes, took place at Block 574 Woodlands Drive 16.
Source: Google Maps, for illustration purposes only
At about 6.15am, 11 officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) were deployed and split into three teams, with two positioned at the exits and another sealing off all escape routes.
At the scene, officers found two men: one seated and resting, and the other, dressed in green, asleep on the ground while leaning against a backpack.
Using a pre-identified photograph, officers confirmed the sleeping man was their target.
After verifying his identity and confirming that he had overstayed, they arrested him and searched his belongings.
The man appeared nervous but cooperated fully with officers.
The man’s social visit pass had expired in June 2025, and ICA officers had begun tracking him from the first day he became an overstayer.
Investigations showed he had been staying at a residence in Woodlands, but he did not return there on the night of the operation.
Instead, he slept at the car park’s rooftop garden. He also told officers he had previously slept at a car park in Joo Koon.
He had no fixed place of residence, sometimes staying with friends and at other times sleeping outdoors.
The other man at the scene had valid travel documents and was allowed to leave after questioning.
The man admitted to overstaying and told officers he survived by doing odd jobs, including distributing flyers, earning about S$10 a day.
He is believed to have been doing ad-hoc work, though his employer has not been identified.
He was later taken back to ICA for further investigations.
Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook, for illustration purposes only
Authorities are investigating possible illegal employment, as well as whether anyone had knowingly provided him with accommodation.
Under the Immigration Act, harbouring or employing immigration offenders is a serious offence.
An ICA officer from its Intelligence Division said such operations require ground surveillance and evidence-gathering to track overstayers’ workplaces and hiding places.
In 2025, ICA arrested 484 overstayers, up from 475 in 2024. Another 277 people were arrested for harbouring or employing immigration offenders.
ICA said it will continue taking enforcement action against offenders, and members of the public can report suspicious cases through its website.
Featured image adapted from Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook.