2 men who ditched bills of over $2,000 at SMOObar, Jyu Gae Bistro and 3 other restaurants arrested

Two men, aged 20 and 23, have been arrested for cheating after they allegedly bailed on bills of over $2,000 at five restaurants.

The police said they received five reports between March 5 and April 13 from various restaurants, about how two men had dined in with a group of others and left without making payment.

Through ground enquiries and follow-up investigations, officers from Central Police Division established the pair's identities and arrested them on Tuesday (Apr 18).

The police said in a statement on Wednesday: "Preliminary investigations revealed that the duo had dined together, and on occasions, with several others, each time ordering large amounts of food and drinks.

"The duo then informed the restaurant staff that payment will be made or purportedly pretended to make payment via a defunct bank card where the transaction was declined.

"At least five restaurants were affected, with losses amounting to more than $2,000."

Two of these cases involve an unpaid bill of $289.98 at Jyu Gae Bistro along Bras Basah Road and a $275 bill at SMOObar along Prinsep Street. The latter bill was paid off after SMOObar repeatedly called out the two men on its Facebook page.

Both incidents went viral after being reported on Stomp, with three articles racking up more than 50,000 views each.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Offenders found guilty of conspiring to cheat may face a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.