Hougang shopkeepers confiscate uncle's trolley, demand $200 fine for mistakenly taking tissue paper

Two shopkeepers confiscated an elderly man’s trolley and demanded a $200 fine after the latter mistakenly took two cartons of tissues without paying. 

The incident happened at a convenience store at Block 682, Hougang Avenue 4, on Monday (Aug 14) at around 2pm. 

The shopkeepers confronted the 80-year-old rag-and-bone man after suspecting him of stealing tissue boxes. 

According to the octogenarian, he had come across the two boxes of tissues while scouring through the back alley behind the shops, reports Shin Min Daily News via Lianhe Zaobao.

He loaded one carton onto his trolley.

After loading the box, he carried the other carton and left without the trolley. 

When he returned for the trolley, he found that it had gone missing, and the card boxes which he had collected were tossed outside the convenience store.

Apparently, two shop workers had left the boxes outside in the alley, but could not find them later.

The two checked closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, and found that the uncle had taken them.

They decided to ‘impound’ the trolley and threatened to call the police if the uncle did not fork out a $200 ‘fine’. 

The dispute lasted for more than two hours, and the police were alerted. 

The debacle finally came to a close when the uncle forked out $1.90 for two tissue boxes which he had already opened. 

The shop assistants also helped to load the card boxes back onto the uncle’s trolley.