An elderly Singaporean couple’s shopping trip to Johor turned into an unexpected ordeal after a thief made off with the husband’s passport, phone, and other valuables at a mall in Skudai.
The incident forced the couple, both in their 80s, to extend their stay in Malaysia and scramble to replace critical travel documents.
Elderly Singaporean’s Bag Stolen From Shopping Trolley at Johor Mall
The theft occurred around 5pm on 7 Dec 2025 at a shopping mall in Skudai, Johor, according to Sinchew.
The couple had been attending a lunch gathering organized by the National Taiwan University alumni association in Malaysia earlier that day. After the event wrapped up, the husband, surnamed Lin, and his wife decided to do some shopping.
CCTV footage from the store captured the entire incident. The wife walked ahead while Lin pulled a shopping trolley behind him.
A man wearing a white cap approached from behind, crouched down, and reached into the trolley. He grabbed a black bag, then quickly turned and walked away, concealing it behind his own plastic bag.
The couple only discovered their belongings were missing when Lin’s wife tried to make a payment at the store. By then, the thief had vanished.
Lin’s stolen bag contained his passport, iPhone, credit card, and cash. After viewing the CCTV footage, he recalled sensing someone following closely behind him during the shopping trip.
Recovery Efforts and Replacement Travel Documents
Lin immediately contacted his daughter in Singapore to cancel the credit cards. The family also attempted to track down the stolen bag using the “Find My iPhone” app, but the location data proved too broad to be useful.
Yang, the alumni association secretary, accompanied Lin to a police station to file a report. Meanwhile, five or six alumni association members fanned out across the shopping mall, searching washrooms and various corners for the missing bag without success.
The theft derailed the couple’s plans to return to Singapore that same day. Without Lin’s passport, they had no choice but to stay an additional night in Johor and visit the Consulate-General of Singapore the following day to apply for a replacement travel document.
Lin’s son rushed to Johor after learning about the incident to help with the search. In the early hours of 8 Dec 2025, he found the stolen iPhone in a shopping mall garbage bin.
A mall security guard informed Yang and the family that CCTV cameras had captured the suspect getting into a car with Lin’s bag.
The family is currently waiting for updates from the police.
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