Oct 10, 2026 · 8 min · 8 segments
In September 1972, along the busy thoroughfare of Commonwealth Avenue near Queen's Circus, an inexplicable incident unfolded in broad daylight. Cheng Li Zhen, a 19-year-old seamstress walking with her…
Chris HensonHost
On an ordinary Monday afternoon in mid-September 1972, Queenstown was moving at its usual steady rhythm.

Singapore's first satellite housing estate was a symbol of modern development, broad avenues, quiet residential lanes, and bustling footpaths connecting neighborhoods.

Two young women, 22-year-old seamstress Cheng Li Chen and her sister, were walking together along Commonwealth Avenue.

They were heading toward a shopping complex nearby, engaged in routine conversation under the midday sky.

There were no audible altercations, no aggressive shouts, and notably, no loud explosion or audible blast that would cause pedestrians to take cover.

Yet without warning, Cheng Lizhen suddenly stumbled and collapsed onto the pavement beside her sister.

In the initial moments of confusion, onlookers and family members suspected a medical emergency.

A passing vehicle stopped and she was quickly transported to the Singapore General Hospital for emergency evaluation.

It was only inside the clinical examination room that the true nature of the incident emerged.

What had appeared to be a sudden medical event on an open street was, in fact, something far more perplexing.

On an ordinary Monday afternoon in mid-September 1972, Queenstown was moving at its usual steady rhythm.

Singapore's first satellite housing estate was a symbol of modern development, broad avenues, quiet residential lanes, and bustling footpaths connecting neighborhoods.

Two young women, 22-year-old seamstress Cheng Li Chen and her sister, were walking together along Commonwealth Avenue.

They were heading toward a shopping complex nearby, engaged in routine conversation under the midday sky.

There were no audible altercations, no aggressive shouts, and notably, no loud explosion or audible blast that would cause pedestrians to take cover.

Yet without warning, Cheng Lizhen suddenly stumbled and collapsed onto the pavement beside her sister.

In the initial moments of confusion, onlookers and family members suspected a medical emergency.

A passing vehicle stopped and she was quickly transported to the Singapore General Hospital for emergency evaluation.

It was only inside the clinical examination room that the true nature of the incident emerged.

What had appeared to be a sudden medical event on an open street was, in fact, something far more perplexing.
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