Four men who allegedly tried to set a club ablaze in the early hours of Tuesday morning using Molotov cocktails were charged yesterday.

Toh Wen Yi and Bryan Ho Chang Rong, both 26, and Eugene Lim Huang Shen and Cephas Ho Jin An, both 23, face one count of mischief by fire each.

The four suspects are accused of having acted jointly with another person, Daryl Tay Kai Long, 26, to hurl four Molotov cocktails at the main entrance of a club called Bounce in St James Power Station between 2.10am and 2.26am that day.

Tay has not been found.

The four who have been charged will be remanded at Central Police Division for one week to assist in investigations.

Their cases will be mentioned again next Thursday.

The attack on the club is believed to be "an act of revenge arising from a previous dispute between one of the suspects and the staff of one of the entertainment outlets at St James Power Station", said the police.

In a statement on Wednesday, police said they received a call regarding the incident at about 2.25am on Tuesday.

Officers arrived to find glass fragments from broken beer bottles and soot near the entrance of the club.

Investigations revealed that three men had lit and thrown four beer bottles filled with petrol, before fleeing.

No one was injured.

Officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, Police Intelligence Department and Clementi Division worked to identify one suspect, who was arrested within 20 hours.

Three others were arrested later on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The maximum punishment for committing mischief by fire or any explosive substance, knowing that it would likely cause damage to property, is seven years' jail and a fine.

Under the law, when a crime is committed jointly by several people, each person is liable for it as if it was committed by just that person.

Anyone with information on Tay's whereabouts can contact the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or online at http://www.police.gov.sg/iwitness

Amir Hussain