Man allegedly pretended to be cop and asked victims to surrender phones -- which he fled with

A 34-year old man who allegedly fled with two mobile phones on the pretext of conducting checks as a police officer was arrested within the same day.

The incident occurred along Boon Keng Road on Sunday (Jan 5), at around 1.30am.

The man had allegedly identified himself as a police officer and asked two victims to surrender their mobile phones to him on the pretext of conducting checks.

He subsequently left with the two mobile phones and did not return.

Through investigations, officers from Central Police Division established the suspect's identity and arrested him on the same day.

Both mobile phones were recovered.

The man will be charged in court on Tuesday (Jan 7) with personating a public servant and theft.

The offence of personating a public servant carries a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine, while the offence of theft carries a jail term of up to three years and/or a fine.

In a statement, the police reminded the public to be vigilant and wary of persons who may impersonate as police officers to facilitate the commission of their criminal acts.

"If in doubt, they should request for the police officer's warrant card to verify his identity before complying with the instructions of the officer," said the police.

"A genuine warrant card will have identification features such as the police crest, the photo of the officer, his name and NRIC number.

"When the card is tilted at an angle, the holographic word 'POLICE' will also appear below the officer's photograph.

"When in doubt, please call 999 for assistance."

Click here for more information on how to identify and verify the authenticity of a police officer.

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