A durian vendor successfully subdued a man who snatched S$600 from the hands of a 70-year-old woman near an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) at Block 827 Tampines Street 81 on Jul. 5, 2023.
The Good Samaritan, who works in Malaysia, was not working that day as it was his day off.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the vendor, surnamed Huang (transliteration from Mandarin), revealed that he was able to intervene on Wednesday evening because he happened to be visiting his younger brother at the fruit stall the latter was working at.
“At the time [of the incident], I heard a woman screaming. Soon after, a male provision shop assistant rushed over to the fruit stall and said that a man had stolen money from an elderly woman. He also asked for our help,” recounted the 35-year-old.
Upon learning about the alleged theft, Huang immediately went outside and saw the male suspect who was wearing a white shirt and who Huang described to be very skinny.
According to videos taken by members of the public who were present at the scene, just as the man in white attempted to flee, Huang immediately stepped forward and subdued him by grabbing him by the throat.
Eventually, the woman was able to get her money back after the alleged perpetrator handed them over, said Huang.
Statement from police
In a Jul. 6 press release, the Singapore Police Force confirmed they were alerted to a case of snatch theft near an ATM along Tampines Street 81 on Jul. 5 at about 9:45pm where a man had purportedly snatched cash amounting to S$600 from a female victim.
Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him within three hours of the report.
The stolen cash was also recovered successfully.
The man was charged in court on Jul. 7 with the offence of snatch theft, which carries an imprisonment term of not less than one year and not more than seven years and caning.
The police emphasised that they will not tolerate such brazen acts of crime, and they will spare no effort to apprehend such offenders and deal with the latter in accordance with the law.
Top images via Shin Min Daily News
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