Man attacks diner at Geylang eatery with coffee mug after he refuses to buy one of his keychains

The New Paper
April 28, 2023

A man was struck in the head with a glass mug after refusing an offer to buy keychains at a Geylang eatery last Saturday. 

The man, surnamed Cai, told Shin Min Daily News he was dining at the Lor 9 Beef Kway Teow eatery in Geylang when he was approached by a tattooed man selling keychains.

"He was holding a card filled with words but wasn't mute or deaf. I suspected he was a fraud, so I politely refused to buy anything from him," the 39-year-old administrative assistant said. 

The man, however, persisted a little more, to which Cai remarked that he had no money. 

"As soon as I told him that, he replied: 'No money but you're still eating such good food'. I then asked him to repeat himself, and he turned around and cursed at me." 

Cai said he asked the man to leave so that he could finish his meal. At that moment, another man appeared with a glass coffee cup in his hand and yelled at Cai: "Don't mess with my brother." He then started hitting Cai with the cup. 

"I felt dizzy after the attack, I remember someone helping me onto a chair. Someone also called an ambulance to take me to the hospital." 

Cai received three stitches at the hospital, and was given two days of sick leave. He said he still experiences headaches, and has since lost his appetite. 

"The doctor told me to return for a check-up next week. If my head still hurts, I'll need to go for an X-Ray to check for blood clots." 

He has also lodged a police report against both men. 

Cai said the man selling keychains was about 180cm tall with tattoos. He said his attacker was about 165cm tall, though he couldn’t recall if he had any tattoos. 

Shin Min spoke to some of the staff at the Geylang eatery. One worker said: "It was very busy at that time, so we didn't notice anything until some customers were attending to the injured man." 

The employee added that the two men fled the scene after the attack, and have not re-appeared. 

There are no CCTV cameras installed at the premises. 

The New Paper

Get The New Paper for more stories.