SINGAPORE, June 20 — The cyclist who was shot while riding in a live-firing zone in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve is being investigated for wilful trespass — and now faces fresh scrutiny over possible efforts to hide the route he and his friends took.

Sources told The Straits Times (ST) that the 42-year-old man, identified only as L, did not immediately inform police or hospital staff that he had been in the vicinity of the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) Nee Soon Range when he was struck by a bullet slug on June 15.

Although L was taken to the National University Hospital (NUH) at about 1pm, police were not notified until 11.55pm — over 12 hours later.

The projectile, which lodged in his lower left back, narrowly missed his kidney. NUH said he underwent surgery at 10pm, when the foreign object was removed and identified as a bullet slug.

“During triage and initial clinical assessment, the patient did not report that he had been shot. There were no overt signs to indicate a firearm-related injury...

“Once the cause of the external wound was definitively determined, we notified the police immediately,” a hospital spokesman said.

Both NUH and the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said they are cooperating with police, who are now investigating whether L deliberately withheld key information.

Meanwhile, checks by ST showed that L, a regular user of the Strava cycling app, had entered the Woodcutter’s Trail — an unofficial and restricted track — from Chestnut Nature Park at about 11am with a group of roughly 10 riders.

Another cyclist, W, a frequent riding partner, has since deleted his June 15 data from Strava. However, the route was still visible on his public Garmin profile.

Mindef said the incident occurred around 11.40am, during an SAF live-firing exercise. L initially denied being in a restricted zone but admitted it the following day.

The Gurkha Contingent was deployed to sweep the area that night.

Strava logs reviewed by ST show L had used the trail regularly since 2014, with at least 10 rides logged there in 2025 alone.

After ST visited a Pasir Panjang-area bike shop frequented by L and W, W made his tracking data private and L deleted his social media accounts. Other cyclists also began removing photos and videos of their rides in the area.

Mindef reiterated that SAF training zones are off-limits under the Military Manoeuvres Act to protect public safety.

Investigations are ongoing.