SINGAPORE, July 10 — The police said yesterday (July 9) that they have arrested a 30-year-old man who allegedly robbed a moneylender along Bukit Batok Street 31 on Thursday night, after showing a handwritten note to a female staff member and claiming that he had a knife in his bag.
In a press statement, the police said that the man made off with S$22,000 (RM68,223), sparking a manhunt after he fled the scene. He was arrested along Lorong 8 Geylang in the early hours of yesterday, 11 hours after the incident.
The suspect, a Singaporean, will be charged today with armed robbery.
The police said that he is believed to have acted alone and the robbery happened over just a few minutes.
Five police units, comprising more than 50 officers from the Jurong Police Division, Criminal Investigation Department, Police Intelligence Department, Police Operation and Command Centre, and Public Transport Security Command, established the identity of the suspect and made the arrest through extensive investigations and aided by footage of police cameras.
They recovered cash amounting to S$18,506, two handwritten notes and a bag.
“Don’t panic. Don’t shout. This is a robbery. Fill up the bag with money. You have 2 mins. Or else!!!” one note read.
“This is a robbery. Don’t shout. Don’t panic. Put all the money in the bag and nobody will get hurt. Don’t try to follow. I know where,” the other read.
The police said that efforts are ongoing to recover the rest of the money and the knife that was allegedly used during the robbery.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Shee Tek Tze, Commander of Jurong Police Division, said: “The suspect took proactive steps to conceal his identity. He covered his features and avoided leaving any trace of evidence at the crime scene.
“However, this did not stop the police from pursuing available leads to quickly identify and arrest him within 11 hours of the reported crime.”
He said that the footage from the police cameras were “instrumental in the quick resolution of the case”.
“This case exemplifies the relentless commitment from the Singapore Police Force in pursuing such criminals to bring them to justice.”
Anyone convicted of robbery committed after 7pm and before 7am shall be liable to imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than 14 years, as well as caning of not fewer than 12 strokes.
If any deadly weapon is used, the offender shall be punished with additional caning of not fewer than 12 strokes. ― TODAY
