After reportedly abusing a man along Orchard road, former business man Zeng Guoyuan was arrested on Saturday, August 25. Zeng, also known as “Parrot Man” after blaming his pet parrot for getting him arrested in 2008, was filmed resisting arrest.
The video, shared by Facebook user Titus KC Yap, went viral and received almost 9,000 shares and 1,400 comments.
Fake beggar getting arrested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA4HB3vugaU
Posted by Titus KC Yap on Saturday, 25 August 2018
In the video, police officers can be seen trying to lift Zeng out of a wheelchair while he resists arrest.
It was alleged that Zeng was playing loud music from a speaker in another busker’s designated area along Orchard Road. When the busker told Zeng to reduce the volume, the latter used vulgar language on him.
The police also added that Zeng “shouted loudly and caused a ruckus” when approached by officers, and that he persisted with his actions despite being given several warnings.
Zeng is notorious for disrupting other buskers’ performances, and is known for waiting for a crowd to gather around a busker before coming in and playing loud music so as to pressure people into giving him money.
One busker, Tan, told the media, “We know that they have to make money too, so we’ve been nice. But when we work so hard to get the busking licence, and this guy just comes over and spits on what we do, it really makes us ask why we bothered to get a licence”.
Last year, it was reported that the management of shopping mall Ngee Ann City had put up a notice on its premises warning the public not to donate any money to Zeng.
The management had also called the police over 30 times that year to report that Zeng had been pretending to be crippled while selling tissue packets along the underground pedestrian walkway linking Ngee Ann City and Wisma Atria.
Zeng was diagnosed with nose cancer in 2014 and had to undergo surgery, leaving a gaping hole in his face where his nose used to be.
Most netizens had no sympathy whatsoever for Zeng and many shared incidents of his “begging” for money.
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obbana@theindependent.sg