Man grabs $600 that elderly woman withdrew from Tampines ATM, durian vendor grabs man's neck

The New Paper
July 10, 2023

A durian vendor went to the rescue of an elderly woman when she was robbed of $600.

The incident took place near a POSB ATM at Block 827, Tampines Street 81, after the woman withdrew cash from the machine on July 5, Shin Min Daily News reported.

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The suspect allegedly snatched the money, making her cry out for help.

Speaking to the Chinese daily, vendor Huang Bowei, 35, said that he happened to be visiting his younger brother at the fruit stall the latter was working at.

"At the time (of the incident), I heard a woman screaming.

"Soon after, a male provision shop assistant rushed over to the fruit stall and said that a man had stolen money from an elderly woman. He also asked for our help," he said.

Mr Huang immediately rushed out of the store and confronted the suspect who was "quite thin", grabbing the man by the throat. 

He managed to quickly restrain the alleged thief.

"Fortunately, he handed over the money and it was returned to the elderly woman," Mr Huang told Shin Min.

In a July 6 press release, the Singapore Police Force confirmed that they were alerted to a case of snatch theft near an ATM along Tampines Street 81 on July 5 at about 9.45pm where a man had snatched cash amounting to $600 from a female victim.

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him within three hours of the report.

The man was charged in court on July 7 with the offence of snatch theft, which carries an imprisonment term of not less than one year and not more than seven years and caning.