The Singapore Police Force arrested a 57-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a robbery at Bukit Panjang on 17 April.
He had robbed a 69-year-old man and tried to flee but couldn’t escape, with the victim fighting back, pinning him down and tying him up before the police arrived.
The police said that they were alerted to a robbery along Bukit Panjang Ring Road on Monday where the 57-year-old man had allegedly assaulted and robbed the 69-year-old victim.
Shin Min Daily News reported that the victim, Mr Chua, was on his way out to buy something at the time, and when he entered the lift, he saw the man facing away from him inside the lift.
Chua then proceeded to press the lift buttons and the man then suddenly turned around and punched Chua in the face, before trying to snatch his phone from his pocket.
Chua then snatched his phone back, and the robber than punched him again and tried to take his wallet.
The robber then tried to escape after taking Chua’s wallet and phone but the victim managed to grab hold of him and forced him out of the lift and into the corridor, where he yelled for his son, who was at home at the time, to come out and help him.
His son then came out and they restrained the robber, with one of them pinning down the robber’s hands while the other pinned down his legs.
They then used raffia strings to tie the robber up to prevent him from escaping, and a neighbour who heard the altercation then reported the incident to the police.
Chua ended up with a torn shirt, a cut on his lip and a bruise on his chest, but otherwise suffered no serious injuries.
The robber was then arrested by the police.
2nd incident in 2 days
This latest case was then 2nd robbery in two days, with another 27-year-old man being arrested for voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery, allegedly assaulting and robbing a 35-year-old woman along Boon Lay Drive in a separate incident on 16 April.
Singapore Police Force’s press release
TWO MEN ARRESTED FOR VOLUNTARILY CAUSING HURT IN COMMITTING ROBBERY IN TWO SEPARATE CASES
The Police have arrested two men, aged 27 and 57 for their suspected involvement in two separate cases of voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery.
In the first case, on 16 April 2023 at about 10.45pm, the Police were alerted to a case of robbery where a 35-year-old female victim was allegedly assaulted and robbed by an unknown man along Boon Lay Drive. The man purportedly took the victim’s cash amounting to $260 before he fled.
Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from CCTVs, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identity of the 27-year-old man and arrested him on 17 April 2023. The victim’s money was recovered upon the man’s arrest.
In the second case, on 17 April 2023 at about 11.40am, the Police were alerted to a case of robbery where a 69-year-old male victim was allegedly assaulted and robbed by an unknown man along Bukit Panjang Ring Road. The man purportedly took the victim’s wallet and handphone and wanted to flee. He was detained by the victim and members of public and was arrested by the police subsequently.
Both men will be charged in court on 19 April 2023 with voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery under Section 394 of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term of five to 20 years and not less than 12 strokes of the cane.