Private-hire driver approaches police on BKE after teenagers start vaping inside vehicle
After getting into a private-hire vehicle (PHV), two teenagers reportedly started vaping inside the vehicle.
This prompted their driver to become concerned and seek help from the police on the way, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Teenagers about 16-17 years old, ordered Grab Premium
The 51-year-old PHV driver named only as Mr Guo (transliterated from Mandarin) told Shin Min that he picked up the two teenagers at about 9am on Sunday (18 May).
They looked to be about 16 or 17 years old and were heading to an HDB block in Choa Chu Kang, he said.
He surmised that they came from well-off backgrounds as he picked one of them up from a condominium in Katong and the other from a private residence in Orchard.
They also ordered Grab Premium, which is relatively expensive, and spoke English, he added.
Photo for illustration purposes only.
The driver said he drives a seven-seater sport-utility vehicle.
Teenagers become dazed while vaping in private-hire vehicle
When the duo got in the vehicle, they started smoking e-vaporisers, or vapes, Mr Guo said.
He also overheard them saying they were going to get “Kpods” — unregulated vapes laced with drugs that can cause seizures and psychosis.
This made him concerned, and he got more worried when they appeared to become dazed and confused while vaping, struggling to speak clearly.
Driver approaches police on BKE
Mr Guo initially wanted to drive them to the police station, but saw the Traffic Police along the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE).
He sounded the horn at them, then stopped and told them what had happened.
Several police officers and an ambulance subsequently arrived at the scene. A photo he shared showed at least eight officers surrounding his car.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Despite this, the teenagers remained calm, the driver said. They were later taken away.
PHV driver finds vape component in vehicle
The next morning, Mr Guo found a vape component in his vehicle.
He suspected that it had been used by the teenagers.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
He does not know how the youngsters came into contact with vapes, but has read reports about young people vaping, which he described as “worrying”.
“E-vaporisers are harmful to health,” he said. “I hope the authorities can enforce the law more strictly to prevent similar incidents from happening again.”
Also read: 13-year-old girl in S’pore vapes drug-laced ‘Kpod’ outside State Courts, investigated with 2 others
13-year-old girl in S’pore vapes drug-laced ‘Kpod’ outside State Courts, investigated with 2 others
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
