Birthday Girl And Pals Arrested Over Talcum Powder

Story ByAlex CopeSub EditorJoseph GolderAgencyCentral European News 

This birthday girl was reportedly arrested and held for 14 hours after cops mistook her talcum powder for illegal drugs.

Netizen ‘Sharonia Paruntu’ says she was arrested and held in custody for 14 hours after a misunderstanding at the W Singapore hotel in the Sentosa CAve area of the city-state of Singapore.

Picture Credit: CEN/@stanley.paruntu

She had gone to the hotel to celebrate with two female friends and a male friend, all aged between 18 and 19.

Two of the friends reportedly became stuck in the bathroom when the sliding door malfunctioned and the group had to call staff to help them.

She says the staff must have spotted her bag of talcum powder, which she was using to stop her underarms from sweating, but they did not ask her what it was.

Picture Credit: CEN/@stanley.paruntu

Local police say they were called to hotel by staff at around 9:30 am and a man and three women were arrested on suspicion of possession and consumption of controlled drugs.

The cops said the four were released at 1:43 am the next morning after initial testing on the powder and their urine came back negative for drugs.

Parantu, who is Indonesian but lives in Singapore wrote on social media that the substance “is an armpit powder to make your armpit less stinky”.

Picture Credit: CEN/@stanley.paruntu

She sarcastically thanked the hotel for “a nice birthday present”.

She said that the police had escorted them from the hotel “in handcuffs” describing it as “humiliating” and saying she had been treated “like a criminal” sleeping on the floor like animals.

The police reportedly had the right to hold the suspects for 48 hours while the tests on the powder and their urine were carried out.

Parantu said that after her mother wrote a letter of complaint she was refunded for their stay in the hotel.

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