46YO Man Allegedly Robbed Woodlands Pawnshop With Knife, Arrested Within 16 Hours

Crime pays.

Before you chew me out for sheer insensitivity and whatnot, however, hear me out.

Crime does pay.

But it’s in the short run.

In the long run, however, it actually takes from you a lot more than what you took in the first place.

46YO Man Allegedly Robbed Woodlands Pawnshop With Knife

For many, Thursday (2 Sep) was a pretty uneventful day.

But for employees at a pawnshop along Woodlands Street 31, it was a nightmare. And it wasn’t even dressed in a daydream.

At around 5.50 p.m., a 46-year-old man reportedly stormed the pawnshop in a robbery attempt.

He had initially shown a female staff member a handwritten note, which reads “Do not shout, I only need money. I have a knife on me, I do not wish to hurt people” in Chinese.

He then allegedly proceeded to brandish a knife in front of a male employee.

According to the police, the male staff obeyed the man’s instructions and handed over about S$24,400 in cash.

After the confrontation worked out in the favour of the suspect, he escaped with the cash and two pieces of jewellery, believed to be valued at S$10,747.

In an attempt to emulate Jason Bourne, he took various modes of transport in his escapade, including a bus, a taxi and even a motorcycle.

He then went on to gamble away chunks of the stolen cash and used some to repay his debts to his friends as well.

But Crime Does Not Pay

While the man was “hard at work” spending his ill-gotten gains, police officers from several departments were convening to trace down the suspect.

With the use of extensive investigations, forensics technology and closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) footage, the man was identified and arrested at a unit along Sembawang Road.

All within 16 hours.

The two pieces of jewellery were found amongst his possessions, alongside a knife, a handwritten note, clothing and a bag.

Thus far, the police have recovered S$4,454 of the stolen sum and is currently working to retrieve the rest.

It was believed that the man was acting alone, the police added, and “no one was hurt during the incident”.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Ang Eng Seng, the commander of Woodlands Police Division, also commended the relevant personnel for the swift capture of the suspect.

“The forensics examination and analysis at the crime scene, coupled with closed-circuit television footage, were instrumental in the quick resolution of the case. This case exemplifies the relentless commitment from the Singapore Police Force in bringing criminals to justice.”

If found guilty, the suspect could face between two and 10 years in jail, as well as up to 12 strokes of the cane.

Other Instances

Unfortunately, shop robberies are more prevalent than they should be.

Just last year (2020), four men were apprehended for an armed robbery in Jurong Gateway Road.

The crime occurred on Thursday (19 November 2020) afternoon.

They were caught the following day on Friday (20 November 2020).

According to preliminary investigations, three out of the four had purportedly executed the robbery at a shop unit.

One of them allegedly directed a knife at a female staff member, dragged her by her hair and asked for money.

She was then hauled into a room, where she was subsequently confined.

The perpetrators managed to flee with around $48,000.

Meanwhile, the fourth man who was apprehended had supposedly assisted in the disposal of the knife during the operation.

However, officers from the Police Intelligence Department and Clementi Police Division managed to recognise the offenders within a time span of just 12 hours.

It should be noted, however, that robberies aren’t always of a financial nature.

Some time ago, a woman in Hong Kong had her box of surgical masks stolen by a robber.

It should be emphasised that the woman had her purse at the time and it wasn’t taken.

Moral of the story? Crimes are like borrowing from loansharks; sooner or later, you’ll have to pay back more than what you took.

Read More:

• MBS Woman Sentenced to 16 Weeks’ Jail for Not Wearing A Mask in Public Multiple Times
• oBike Cleared of ‘Wrongdoing’ After No Evidence Found

Feature Image: SPF / Google Map