2 Teens Stole a Car Via Carpooling Service & Tried to Sell It on Telegram, But Was Ambushed Instead

After stealing a car, two teenagers tried to sell the vehicle, but they were ambushed by plainclothes police officers who pretended to be the buyers.

Panicked, the pair drove off in a hurry, damaging two police cars in the process, which injured five police officers as a result.

The offenders in question are Lakshan Saravanan and Chen Jinkai, both 19 years old.

The Details of the Incident

According to the police, Saravanan has already been arrested and confessed to his crimes yesterday (29 Apr). He was pressed with 17 charges, of which included car theft, driving without a licence, and reckless driving.

The prosecution has also listed nine other charges.

According to the case details, the incident took place on 30 October 2021, around 7:30pm.

Saravanan and Chen Jingkai had requested for carpooling services through Telegram, and they had agreed to meet with the car owner at Compass One Shopping Centre.

The victim, Huang Weijie, aged 22, had picked them up as requested.

When the car was driving along Fernvale Road, the offender asked the victim to go to the nearby supermarket to buy cigarettes. The victim agreed, getting off the car without turning off the engine.

Once the victim was nearly out of sight, the pair proceeded to drive off with the car.

At around 8:30pm of the same night, Saravanan told his 16-year-old girlfriend to help him post an advertisement on Telegram to sell the car off.

The next morning, the “buyer” contacted Saravanan, choosing to meet him at the carpark at Yishun Street 21.

When the duo and the girlfriend drove over to the place the parties agreed upon, they realised the police had planted an ambush there, so they fled with the car.

According to Shin Min Daily News’ reporting last year, the police managed to track down the offender at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 through surveillance footage, and successfully arrested him and his female guest.

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While the investigations were ongoing, the stolen car had already been handed over to Chen Jinkai.

Afterward, the police found the stolen car in a carpark at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6. The stolen car was driven by Chen Jinkai, and during the car chase that ensued, he slammed into and damaged two police cars, resulting in the injuries of five police officers.

The court has ordered the prosecution to submit an evaluation from the offender’s youth rehabilitation centre.

The case has been adjourned for the next month. 

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Featured Image: Shin Min Daily News 新明日报