Potong Pasir flat attracts buyers despite skeletal discovery

A Housing Board flat in Potong Pasir has been attracting interest from prospective buyers despite a macabre discovery in July 2020, when the skeletal remains of a man in his 60s were discovered in the unit.

The man had died alone at home without anyone knowing for several years, and his remains were not discovered until National Environment Agency officers - after several failed attempts to contact the person regarding dengue checks - executed a forced entry onto the premises.

A locksmith was engaged to open the door of the unit at Block 139 Potong Pasir Avenue 3, and said he found the body in the kitchen.

He could not tell if it was a man or woman, as the corpse had already decomposed and became "a skeleton". He added that the windows of the flat were open and there was "no smell".

Chinese newspaper Lianhe Wanbao previously reported that all the calendars in the flat were showing June 2011, which meant the deceased man could have been undiscovered for nine years.

The man was born in 1948, and would have been around 63 years old when he died.

The deceased man's nephew, a 48-year-old businessman, told Wanbao the flat has been emptied out and put up for sale.

He said his uncle had a gentle and humble personality and was a devout Buddhist.

Buyers need not worry that buying the unit will be bad, the nephew said, adding that he and his brother would donate their share of the sale proceeds to the Sian Chay Medical Institution that provides free consultation services for elderly folks.

News of the flat's availability has attracted potential buyers,

One prospective buyer Wanbao spoke to was Chen, 41, a taxi driver, who said she was drawn to the Potong Pasir neighbourhood after a friend had moved into the area recently.

Chen said the supermarket, coffeeshop, and close proximity to the MRT are major draws for her.

The story behind the "House of Bones", as christened by the Chinese media, has not put her off.

"I am harmless, and there is nothing to be afraid of," she said.

"If the deal goes through, I will ask a priest to recite prayers before I move in, and set up an altar. There is nothing to be superstitious about."