69YO Pinned Down & Tied Robber Who Tried to Rob Him in Bukit Panjang HDB Lift

Last Updated on 2023-05-05 , 12:59 pm

A lift robbery spells bad news for the victim since you’re stuck in an enclosed space, and the robber typically has the upper hand, whether in positioning or weaponry.

However, this was not the case for a 69-year-old man, who successfully foiled a robbery attempt in an HDB lift, and even managed to tie the robber down until the police arrived.

Maybe next time, robbers will learn not to target even seemingly unsuspecting older men—they might just be the one losing out, yet again.

Tried To Rob Him In The Lift

On 17 April, 57-year-old Hu Yi Min somehow decided he wanted to rob someone.

After making this astonishingly bad decision, he set his sights on his would-be victim, 69-year-old Mr Cai Liang Cheng, hoping to get away with the older man’s phone.

That afternoon, Mr Cai intended to do some shopping and entered the lift on the 9th floor of the block of flats at 432 Bukit Panjang Ring Road.

He noticed a man standing inside, facing away from him.

When Mr Cai turned around to press the lift buttons, however, the man turned around at once and punched him, snatching away the phone he’d placed in his shirt’s front pocket.

Mr Cai, however, did not take this lying down. Unfortunately for the robber, the lift doors had not closed yet, and Mr Cai stood between the doors, snatching his phone back.

The robber realised he would not come out victorious in the confrontation, and made a last-ditch attempt to escape. However, Mr Cai did not allow him that luxury—he grabbed his wrist to stop him, and placed his retrieved phone back into his pocket.

This seemed to reignite the robber’s fighting spirit, and he resorted to violence, punching Mr Cai again and snatching the man’s wallet, also in his shirt’s front pocket.

Robber Was Tied Up

Undeterred, Mr Cai dragged the robber out of the lift and kept him in a death grip until they reached the corridor, where he shouted loudly for his son, telling him he was being robbed. 

The stars aligned for him, because his son happened to be on leave that day. 

He rushed out of the house at his father’s call, and managed to tackle the robber.

Hearing the scuffle in the corridor, his neighbour rendered assistance too. After reporting the incident to the police, he gave Mr Cai’s son some spare string to tie the robber up with.

Later, Mr Cai thanked his neighbour in an interview with Shin Min Daily News. The Chinese media outlet also published a video detailing the incident on Facebook.

He also expressed appreciation to the police for their brave work in the frontlines of incidents like these.

Aftermath

Mr Cai, thankfully, escaped with very minor injuries.

The robber inflicted some shallow scratches on his chest area, and he sustained some cuts on his lips and gums, from when he was punched.

None of the injuries created any lasting problems.

The robber, however, was not so lucky.

He was arrested by the police that day, right outside Mr Cai’s flat. 

The police confirmed the incident in a statement on 19 April, saying they were alerted at around 11.40 am that day.

The man is set to be charged with voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery, under Section 394 of the Penal Code 1871.

However, his drug test returned positive, resulting in postponed court proceedings until a full report is obtained.

If he’s found guilty of that charge, though, he can be sentenced to between five to 20 years’ jail, and receive no less than 12 strokes of the cane. 

Victims Fighting Back

In 2015, Mr Tay Lim Heng, a 56-year-old taxi driver, was the would-be “victim” of a robbery.

A passenger had placed a pair of scissors against his neck, demanding that the taxi driver give him all his money.

Like a tacky cartoon villain, he’d even uttered the word “robbery” while doing so.

The incident happened at 1 am, at a quiet carpark at 411 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10.

Mr Tay, however, was unfazed, due to the robber’s small stature, even expressing in an interview that he could “easily beat him up”.

However, he had to get rid of the menacing pair of scissors the robber wielded, and he did so by dropping cash on the taxi’s floor to distract the man. 

Somehow, the plan worked—when the robber scuttled to retrieve the money, Mr Tay twisted the other man’s left hand, which was holding the scissors, and the weapon fell to the floor. 

He then pushed his hand against his car roof, inciting a shout of pain from the robber, and Mr Tay said he heard a cracking sound, leading him to think that he had broken the robber’s arm.

This time, though, the robber managed to escape, clutching his injured arm. Mr Tay tried to chase after him in his taxi, but, unfortunately, got stuck at the gantry.

No chasing robbers before paying for parking— a classic Singaporean end to an epic story indeed.