A tourist travelling alone in Singapore allegedly had her Gucci handbag snatched after a man who had earlier offered to help her exchange currency and find new accommodation accompanied her around the city.
The 38-year-old Chinese woman, identified only by her surname Wan, reportedly gave chase after the man allegedly grabbed her handbag along Circular Road on Aug. 30.
Two members of the public later joined the pursuit and helped catch the alleged offender, while other bystanders contacted the police.
Stranger allegedly offered assistance
According to Shin Min Daily News, Wan arrived in Singapore on Aug. 29 and was staying at Mercure ICON Singapore City Centre.
At about 6:30pm on Aug. 30, she was shopping around People’s Park Complex when she was approached by a middle-aged man.
Wan reportedly said the man spoke fluent Mandarin and introduced himself as being from Taiwan. He also claimed to have lived in Singapore for some time.
The man allegedly began speaking with her after she mentioned that she needed to exchange currency and was dissatisfied with her accommodation.
He reportedly offered to help her with both matters.
Wan returned to her hotel to collect her belongings before meeting him again at around 7:30pm.
The man then allegedly brought her to a shop that appeared to sell mobile phones, claiming that the business belonged to a friend.
Wan said she was offered an exchange rate of S$1 for 5.5 yuan and exchanged 44,000 yuan, receiving approximately S$8,000.
Long walk reportedly raised suspicions
After the currency exchange, the man allegedly told Wan that he would take her to Boat Quay before bringing her to Marina Bay Sands.
Although he reportedly said the locations were close by, Wan said they ended up walking for a prolonged period.
She eventually suggested using a vehicle instead.
The man allegedly insisted that he knew a shortcut and told her they would reach their destination within about 10 minutes.
Wan said she began feeling suspicious at that point.
She reportedly told Shin Min that the man appeared to take her on a lengthy detour, resulting in her walking for more than an hour and becoming exhausted.
When they reached Circular Road, Wan said she told the man that she no longer wanted to continue walking.
He allegedly suggested visiting a nearby bar instead, but she refused.
Wan claimed that the man then appeared to realise that she was becoming suspicious.
He allegedly grabbed her Gucci handbag and fled.
Two passers-by helped in pursuit
Wan immediately chased after the man while shouting for assistance.
She said the Gucci handbag was worth more than S$5,000 and contained approximately S$8,000 in cash from the currency exchange.
The bag had reportedly been purchased only three to four months earlier.
The alleged offender ran into a back alley, with Wan pursuing him for about two blocks.
A male passer-by reportedly heard her cries for help and joined the chase.
Another man who had witnessed the incident also intervened, and the pair eventually caught up with the suspect.
Other members of the public reportedly helped keep watch over the man while police were contacted.
Police said they received a call for assistance at 1 Circular Road at around 9:05pm on Aug. 30.
A 45-year-old man was subsequently arrested for suspected theft.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Wan also claimed that the man later told police that he was her friend and that taking her handbag had been a prank.
She reportedly found the explanation difficult to accept, particularly after having chased him for several blocks.
The tourist said she had travelled overseas alone previously without experiencing similar incidents, which had caused her to become less cautious.
She later contacted the members of the public who had helped her and invited them for a meal and coffee at a shopping mall near her hotel.