A tourist from England was left puzzled after witnessing what he believed was a \u201cdodgy\u201d transaction in Jalan Besar, prompting him to film the encounter and ask netizens what was going on.<\/p>\n
But while some speculated about what was being exchanged, others told him to mind his own business.<\/p>\n
In a 62-second video shared on Instagram<\/a> by travel vloggers Ryan and Katie, who run the account @rkbackpacking, Ryan describes seeing a woman discreetly slipping money into the hands of a man.<\/p>\n \u201cSome Asian lady walked up to an Indian man, slid him some money. He walked ahead real shifty-like, palmed it to his mate, and then his mate pulled open a bin and pulled out a little red plastic bag of something,\u201d says Ryan.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is weird. Is that like? Should we ask? What was it? Something dodgy is going down in Singapore… Can someone explain what?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n The video shows the woman slipping money to a man, who then walks ahead of her. However, it does not show the handover of money between the men.<\/p>\n When the video resumes, the woman is seen approaching a public rubbish bin, where another man opens the lid as she stops beside it.<\/p>\n PHOTOS: RKBACKPACKING\/INSTAGRAM<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n The red plastic bag Ryan describes is not visible in the video.<\/p>\n Ryan says he later tried to get a closer look inside the bin, but \u201call I got was extremely dirty looks\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cSurely not a drug deal?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n \u201cSurely not,\u201d Katie replies.<\/p>\n \u201cCan someone please tell me what it is? I\u2019m so curious,\u201d Ryan says as the video ends.<\/p>\n The video, shared on Oct 9, has racked up more than 259,000 views, 3,700 likes and 315 comments.<\/p>\n Speaking to Stomp, Ryan said the couple spent three days in Singapore but did not make a police report because they were unsure what they had seen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt could have been anything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, the encounter surprised them, given Singapore\u2019s reputation for strict laws.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was surprising to see that in Singapore, a country that has a lot of rules and fines for those who break them,\u201d said Ryan. \u201cIt was completely the opposite of our impression of Singapore.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the incident did not dampen their enjoyment of the trip.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a really good time, more than we expected, actually. And no, we didn\u2019t see anything else after that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Netizens offered various theories about the transaction, with the most popular suggestion being that the woman had bought contraband cigarettes<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lady bought smuggled cigarettes,\u201d one claimed, adding that they cost about 60 per cent less than duty-paid cigarettes sold in shops.<\/p>\n Others suggested that the bag could have contained vapes<\/a>, which are banned in Singapore, or even drugs.<\/p>\n Several speculated that it could have been Hans Chaap, a type of smokeless chewing tobacco from India that is prohibited in Singapore.<\/p>\n Some offered less serious suggestions, joking that the woman was buying chewing gum.<\/p>\n \u201cChewing game smugglers…lol,\u201d one said in jest.<\/p>\n Not everyone appreciated the couple\u2019s curiosity.<\/p>\n Several netizens pointed out that they were potentially getting the people in the video into trouble.<\/p>\n \u201cMind your own business and enjoy your travels. Not everything you see needs to become content,\u201d one Instagram user commented.<\/p>\n \u201cStop snitching, mate,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were not under threat; there was no reason to show others in a bad light,\u201d a third wrote.<\/p>\n Another asked: \u201cJust do your stuff man. Are they bothering you?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryan and Katie defended their decision to share the video.<\/p>\n \u201cWe literally just show what we see, had it not happened in front of us, we wouldn\u2019t have shown it. We are travel vloggers, it\u2019s what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Others came to their defence, arguing that they were simply discussing something they had witnessed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether they were bothering the vloggers personally isn\u2019t the point. They simply documented something unusual that happened right in front of them while filming their travels,\u201d one said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t manufacture the situation or claim to know the full story \u2014 they showed what they saw and people can draw their own conclusions.\u201d<\/p>\n Another agreed: \u201cPeople are acting like they went out looking for drama. They\u2019re travel vloggers, and something unusual happened right in front of them while they were filming. Showing what they genuinely witnessed isn\u2019t the same as deliberately trying to expose someone.\u201d<\/p>\n Others thanked them for highlighting the incident.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are people saying MYOB?\u201d one Instagram user asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for your video, we welcome all, except those who want to break the rules,\u201d another wrote.<\/p>\n Stomp has reached out to the police<\/a> for comment.<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018Completely the opposite of our impression of Singapore\u2019<\/h2>\n
Netizens debate the incident and Singapore laws<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/div>\nJust enjoy your travels: Netizens<\/h2>\n
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