In updates to the case of the 14-year-old boy who drowned at Changi Beach on August 22, the Straits Times (ST) reported that the family of the boy didn’t know that he had gone to the beach.
The 14-year-old boy, Putera Muhammad Indra Shazrine Suzaini, was thought to be studying with a group of friends, said the step-granduncle of the boy.
Eyewitness accounts said that Putera was part of a group of six boys fishing and swimming at Changi Beach Park, when one of the boy ran up to an eyewitness shouting for help to save his drowning friend.
The eyewitness then brought 5 family members and friends to the sea, where they spotted 2 of the 6 boys struggling in the water.
The eyewitness’ brother-in-law had actually grabbed hold of Putera’s hand but was too slippery and a giant wave swept the boy away.
The mother of the boy said that her son didn’t know how to swim, and that his nanny also told him not to go swimming.
The boy’s mother also said that she received a message from Putera’s friends that her son had drowned; at first she thought it was a prank in bad taste but not long after, she received a call from the police confirming Putera’s death.