45-Year-Old Man Stabs Himself with Scissors After Being Caught Stealing at Hougang Green Shopping Mall

A 45-year-old man stabbed himself with scissors after he was caught shoplifting at a household goods store in Hougang Green Shopping Mall on 24 May 2025.

The incident occurred at approximately 3:20pm at 21 Hougang Street 51.

Frequent Customer Caught Taking Items from Hougang Store

Ms Zhong Jiamin, a 33-year-old employee of the household goods store, told Shin Min Daily News that the man was a frequent customer.

During his visit on Saturday afternoon, she observed him taking a radio and several memory cards before walking into a blind spot within the store.

His hands were empty when he emerged from the area. Ms Zhong checked the CCTV footage and discovered he had placed the items into a bag before leaving the store.

The employee immediately chased after him and found him drinking nearby. She brought him back to the store and contacted her boss.

The man appeared calm initially and waited quietly in the store. However, when the shop owner arrived, he suddenly dropped to his knees and kowtowed, begging to be released.

The shop owner told Shin Min that the man had allegedly taken items worth more than S$100.

Despite the man’s pleas for mercy, the owner insisted on calling the police. He expressed concern that letting the man go would encourage others to steal from his shop.

Man Injures Himself with Store Scissors During Police Wait

While begging for mercy, the man suddenly grabbed a pair of scissors from the store. He opened the packaging and stabbed his left arm with the scissors.

The man then smeared his own blood on himself, horrifying everyone present. Another store employee described seeing the man’s upper body covered in blood, particularly his hands.

Ms Zhuo Zhenzhen, a 55-year-old supervisor of a nearby religious supplies store, witnessed the man kneeling on the floor and shouting, “Auntie, uncle please save me, lend me S$200!”

He held his bleeding left wrist, leaving a blood trail at least three metres long on the floor in front of the counter.

Ms Zhuo described the scene as “scary” and said it caused her nightmares.

Police Investigation and Mental Health Apprehension

Paramedics arrived after police were called and bandaged the man’s wound. He was escorted away by police in a wheelchair and sent to Sengkang General Hospital in a conscious state.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force received a call for assistance at approximately 3:30pm and conveyed the man to hospital.

At the hospital, police discovered additional items on the man, including an unopened memory card. The Singapore Police Force found the man with injuries believed to be self-inflicted.

Part of the shop was cordoned off by police for approximately three hours, with the cordon lifted at about 6pm.

The man was subsequently apprehended under Section 7 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008.

This section allows police to apprehend individuals who may endanger their own life or the lives of others when their conduct is suspected to be due to a mental disorder.

The shop owner believes the man is from a nearby nursing home. A grocery store owner in the area confirmed that residents from the nursing home occasionally visit the mall.

He noted that while shop theft sometimes occurs, he typically doesn’t pursue matters involving small amounts.

Police investigations are ongoing.