SINGAPORE — The police have arrested three men and are investigating 36 others following a raid on unlicensed public entertainment outlets that were operating despite the recent emergence of Covid-19 clusters involving karaoke joints and a recent crackdown by the authorities.

The police said on Sunday (July 18) that they conducted operations against two unlicensed public entertainment outlets, one located along Selegie Road and the other on Tagore Lane near Yio Chu Kang, on Saturday.

"In both units, public entertainment and liquor were believed to have been provided without a valid licence," the police said. "Karaoke equipment, liquor bottles and beer cans found at both units were seized for investigations.

In the operation at a shophouse along Selegie Road, 14 men and nine women aged between 20 and 31 were allegedly found socialising. Two 24-year-old men, believed to be operators of the unit, were arrested for allegedly supplying liquor without a licence.

The police conducted another raid at a commercial unit along Tagore Lane, this time netting two men and 11 women aged between 23 and 38. The purported operator of the unit, a 37-year-old man, was arrested.

The people found in the units will also be investigated for alleged non-compliance with safe distancing regulations, the police said.

The respective offences of supplying liquor and providing public entertainment without a valid licence each carry a fine of up to S$20,000.

For non-compliance with safe distancing rules, offenders may be jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$10,000, or both.