Commuters help detain suspected thief at Raffles MRT station
File photo of Raffles MRT station
The Straits Times
Thursday, Aug 01, 2013
SINGAPORE - A 31-year-old man was arrested for theft at Raffles Place MRT station on Wednesday afternoon, after being detained by two passers-by.
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Here is the full press release from the Police:
A 31 year-old man was arrested for Theft after being detained by two passers-by in a crowded MRT station. His 36 year-old female accomplice was arrested ten hours later at Woodlands Checkpoint.
On 31 July 2013 at about noon, a 45 year-old woman was travelling down an escalator of Raffles Place MRT station when a man came from her behind and started picking up some coins in front of her, thereby blocking her path.
Suspecting something amiss, the woman checked her bag which was slung behind her and discovered an envelope containing about $2500/- cash was missing. It was at this point when the man stood up and ran off.
The victim instinctively shouted for help which caught the attention of passers-by, Mr Peng Yi (29 years old) and Mr Wang Ligui (24 years old), who stopped the fleeing man in his tracks with the help of others.
At the same time, the victim also found her missing envelope laying on the ground beside the suspect who was detained.
The money in the envelope was intact.
Police officers who arrived shortly arrested the man and seized the envelope as case exhibit.
Through investigations, officers from Central Police Division established that the suspect had another female accomplice. They mounted an operation and arrested the 36 year-old female suspect when she attempted to leave the country via Woodlands Checkpoint on 31 July 2013 at about 9.30pm.
The suspects will be charged in Court on 2 August 2013 for the offence of Theft read with Common Intention under Section 379 and Section 34 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. If convicted, they will be imprisoned for three years and liable to be fined. The duo will be remanded for further investigations.
Commander of Central Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police (DAC) Daniel Tan, commended Mr Peng, Mr Wang, and the other passers-by for their public-spiritedness. At the same time, DAC Tan also advised the public to be vigilant when carrying large amounts of cash in especially in crowded areas.
