Crime does not pay.
And it appears that yet another perpetrator has learnt that lesson the hard way.
Grab Driver Who Took Phone Left by Passenger in Car Jailed for 12 Days
A Grab driver has been sentenced to 12 days behind bars for taking a phone that was misplaced by a passenger.
A hefty price to pay considering how the alternative could have netted him a reward instead. But more on that later.
Apparently, the victim, 43, had boarded Fok Kar Lam’s vehicle with a friend on 26 Feb 2020.
She then proceeded to leave her phone beside her throughout the journey.
When they alighted 15 minutes later, the victim forgot to retrieve it; she only realised it when she was inside a restaurant.
Her friend then attempted to dial the number, but it did not work.
Fok also did not respond via the Grab app.
At around 11:00 pm that day, another passenger boarded the car and found the iPhone lying on the back seat.
He informed Fok about it and passed it to the driver for safekeeping.
He also snapped a picture of the phone, before eventually alighting at Yishun.
Fok reportedly acknowledged the device, and situated it “near the gear box” of his vehicle.
But it appears that he had no intention to return the device.
“Find my iPhone”Â
After midnight, the victim’s friend tried to locate the device using the “Find my iPhone” app.
It was revealed to be on the way from Yishun to Sengkang.
A few minutes after, the driver received a message from Grab in regards to the phone, but denied the presence of the device.
The victim then lodged a police report.
Fok would go on to be identified after thorough police investigations.
And yet, the phone has not returned to its original owner.
According to the victim, who’s an Indonesian tourist, the iPhone was priced at US$999 (S$1,387), including the casing.
For dishonest misappropriation of the device, Fok could have been imprisoned for up to two years, fined, or both.
On The Other End Of The Spectrum
Meanwhile, Stomper Mohamed, another Grab driver, was recently rewarded when he returned a phone to its original owner.
According to Stomp, the 45-year-old had picked up an Australian expat from Citibank Changi Business Park to InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay at around 6.52pm on 3 November.
After completing the trip, he was later informed by Grab that the passenger had misplaced his phone.
“I told them to give me a minute and stopped my car to check,” he said.
The Stomper eventually found the device lying on rear seat, and travelled to the expat’s hotel to return the phone.
When he turned up expecting a regular Grab fare of $17 for his efforts, however, he found himself receiving a whopping $100 instead.
“I showed him a screenshot of the $17 fare on the Grab app, but was shocked when he put $100 in my hand,” he said.
“I said it was too much for me and that just the fare would be enough, but he said no and insisted I keep it and use it to go for dinner with my family.”
“I am really shocked but happy. I feel very appreciated.”
Moral of the story?
Be like Mohamed.
Here’s the REAL reason why everyone is hanging plushies on their bags, simplified for you:
