Sold in 12 minutes: House found with skeletal remains went for S$2.23m

Singapore

THE Sembawang Hills Estate terrace house where two sets of skeletal remains were found has a new owner.

It was sold on Tuesday for S$2.23 million to a local contractor in a frenzied auction that lasted just 12 minutes.

The auction held by real estate agency Knight Frank was made on behalf of the Public Trustee's Office, which comes under the Ministry of Law.

The government took over the ownership of the abandoned house in 2015 after it remained in a dilapidated state for about 10 years.

The house's last two known residents - Pearl Tan, a retired civil servant and her sister Ruby - were declared to be presumed dead by the High Court in 2015. Both sisters did not leave a will.

They would have been 81 and 68 respectively in 2006, when the first set of skeletal remains was found in the house by National Environment Agency officers who entered the premises for an inspection after neighbours complained of mosqui…