Cashier, 70, afraid to go to work after fending off masked robber at Toa Payoh minimart

A 70-year-old cashier was alone at work in the wee hours of Saturday (July 15) when a masked man attempted to rob the store with a knife.

The incident occurred in a minimart located along Lorong 1 Toa Payoh at around 1.20am.

Stomp earlier reported that the police were alerted to the case of attempted robbery at about 8.10am and nabbed the 38-year-old suspect within five hours.

A black long-sleeved dress, headscarves and arm sleeves were seized as case exhibits.

Minimart supervisor Henry, 44, told Shin Min Daily News that the store operates all night with the 70-year-old employee usually working the night shift alone.

CCTV footage shows the suspect, who was clad in black from head to toe, entering the minimart and heading straight towards the cashier.

He then dragged the employee up from her seat at the counter and brandished a knife, but fled empty-handed when she repeatedly shouted for help.

Henry said that the employee was unhurt and the store did not suffer any losses.

But as she was too frightened to go to work the next day, the minimart arranged for another staff member to accompany her on duty.

Henry added: "Ah ma got a shock and didn't dare come to work. However, she became more relieved after being informed that the police had caught the suspect."

This is the first time the store has encountered a robbery in its 11 years of operations.

Mahmoud Abdeltawwab Riad Abdelhak, a permanent resident from Egypt, was charged in court on Monday with the offence of attempted robbery.

If found guilty, he faces a jail term of between two to seven years and at least six strokes of the cane.