38YO Auxiliary Police Officer Charged for Armed Robbery at Jurong Store of Over S$24,000

When armed robberies occur in Singapore, they usually involve the use of a knife or parang. 

This is because Singapore has one of the toughest gun control laws in the world, and guns are not easily available to the public.

So, if someone walks up to you, brandishes a gun, and asks for your money, you’re probably going to give it to them.

And that’s exactly what happened to a shop attendant recently.

38YO Auxiliary Police Officer Robs Store in Jurong With Gun, Gets $24,000

On Monday (12 Apr), a 38-year-old auxiliary police officer walked into a shop along Jurong Gateway Road.

Normally, this wouldn’t make the headlines, but he then showed a staff member this note:

“This is a robbery, don’t shout. I got gun in my pocket. Put all the money in the bag.”

The staff member complied and handed the man more than S$24,000 in cash, then he fled.

But it didn’t take the authorities long to nab the officer, as he was arrested just five hours later.

And the 38-year-old wasn’t lying, he really did have a gun in his pocket.

Drew Firearm Before His Deployment

According to TODAYonline, the police said they were alerted to the incident at 3:55pm.

They managed to identify the offender as an on-duty auxiliary police officer from Aetos through the use of footage from police cameras and the shop’s close-circuit televisions (CCTVs).

Earlier that day, the man reported to work at Aetos’ headquarters and drew his firearm before he was deployed.

He then changed out of his uniform and left the headquarters with his firearm, even though he wasn’t authorised to do so.

It was then that he allegedly committed the robbery before heading back to the headquarters to put on his uniform and and take the company van to his deployment location.

Man Could Face Life Imprisonment

The man will be charged in court today (14 Apr) for the unlawful possession of arms or ammunition in the commission of a scheduled offence.

The police believe he acted alone during the robbery, but discovered that he deposited a portion of the stolen cash into the bank account of a friend, a 34-year-old woman.

The woman was also arrested for dishonestly receiving stolen property.

The man transferred the stolen money to other bank accounts as well to repay his debts to unlicensed moneylenders.

Another eightt people, aged between 16 and 48, were arrested by the police for the same offence in connection to this case.

Around S$17,500 of the stolen money has been recovered so far, and the authorities are working to the recover the rest.

If convicted, the 38-year-old man could face life imprisonment and no fewer than six strokes of the cane.

As for the woman, she could be jailed up to five years, fined, or both if found guilty.

Feature Image: Mr.Nikon / Shutterstock.com