On 9 April 2022, a dead body was found at Lower Seletar Reservoir.
According to the Chinese press, the 66-year-old man was Ye Chun Guo and a coroner’s inquiry determined his death to be due to suicide.
Man Who Was Found Dead at Lower Seletar Reservoir Has a $70K Debt Due to Some Cambodian Investment
When his body was found, a waterlogged document was discovered.
Dated 5 April 2021, the document detailed that the Cambodian company has given approval to a certain company to raise funds for a “10 billion project”.
The currency of the figure, however, wasn’t specified.
Invested Without Family’s Knowledge
Ye had reportedly invested in this project without his family’s knowledge.
Back in 2015, he had invested in a failed business venture in Cambodia and promised his family that he would stop making overseas investments.
That failed investment landed Ye in a S$35,000 debt, which he only managed to clear after some time.
In S$70,000 Debt
According to China Press, Ye owed several companies money, amounting to S$70,000.
Prior to his death, he had called a financing company in an attempt to borrow more money but was rejected.
Ye had reached his loan limit after taking out loans from several other financing companies.
Two days before Ye’s death, he had called a Cambodian middleman who got to know him back in 2018.
During the call, Ye asked him how he can raise money for S$10 billion.
When the middleman asked if Ye has received any money from Cambodia, he replied that he was living off his CPF payout of S$500 a month as he was unable to fly to Cambodia to get his money due to the pandemic.
Told Wife He Was Going To Work
A month before Ye’s unfortunate passing, he lied to his wife and told her he found a job related to railway construction.
The new job, he told her, requires him to attend lessons twice a week.
On 8 Apr 2022, Ye told his wife that he was going for the lesson.
Typically, he’ll reach home at around 6 PM, but on that particular day, Ye didn’t return home at all.
Ye’s wife was informed of his death the next day after his body was found.
The police analysed CCTV footage from the area to observe Ye’s movement.
They determined that he found a secluded spot within the reservoir to attempt suicide.
On 12 Apr 2022, his death was ruled a suicide due to circumstantial evidence.
Connections in Cambodia
It was discovered that Ye has a mistress in Cambodia, and the pair addressed each other as husband and wife even though they never legally got married.
The mistress and her godbrother helped Ye find investment schemes in Cambodia.
The godbrother’s role was to look for investment schemes while Ye was in charge of the funding.
However, he claimed that he was unaware of Ye’s financial situation, and also said he didn’t know anything about the “$10 billion project”.
A few days before Ye’s death, he allegedly called the godbrother and told him to take care of his mistress.
One of Ye’s business partners claimed that the mistress was the one to introduce the “$10 billion project” to Ye.
It was also reported that there was no evidence of Ye profiting from any of his overseas investments.
Helplines
If you, or anyone you know, is in emotional distress, there are some helplines that you can call:
- National Care Hotline: 1800-202-6868
- Samaritans of Singapore 24-hour Hotline: 1800-221-4444
- Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
- Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)
- Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)
- AWARE Women’s Helpline: 1800-777-555 (10 AM – 6 PM, Monday to Friday)
Feature Image: Chinese Press