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A MIDDLE-AGED woman has been arrested after boarding a bus naked
- the latest in a string of such incidents.
The Chinese woman in her 50s turned up at a bus stop in Ubi
wearing a black blouse and pair of black pants, Lianhe Wanbao
reported.
She slowly stripped, putting her clothes into a large handbag
she was carrying.
Several minutes later, the number 22 bus ferrying more than 20
passengers reportedly arrived at the bus stop next to Block 302 in
Ubi Avenue 1.
The woman boarded it and made her way to the back.
The bus driver is said to have promptly stopped the bus, ordered
the male passengers to the front and women to the back, where they
could help shield the woman.
A female passenger used a sweater to cover the woman, who did
not speakthroughout the incident.
Two squad cars arrived soon after, and officers arrested the
woman. Police confirmed the arrest, which happened on Wednesday
evening.
The woman is believed to be mentally ill. Investigations are
ongoing.
A spokesman for the bus company, Comfort DelGro, said that in
such situations its drivers will contact the firm's operations
control centre and the police.
They will also 'attempt to offer some coverings like their
jackets for the person's modesty'.
Over the last five years, police have seen a slow but steady
rise in the number of reports of people parading around nude in
public, with this year set to break records.
In the first six months of the year, there have been 105 such
incidents - one every other day.
On Sunday morning, a naked man tried to buy coffee at a
McDonald's outlet in Queensway.
Last Thursday, another man sat naked for hours near an Housing
Board block in Ang Mo Kio.
Those arrested and who are believed to be mentally ill are
usually referred to the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric
assessment, The Straits Times understands.
Anyone found guilty of being nude in public, or in a private
location, but visible to those outside, faces a fine of up to
$2,000 and up to three months in jail.