56-year-old S'porean who robbed Western Union outlet arrested: He'd spent almost all the money

Update:

Hashim Hamzah was jailed for four years and nine months on May 2, 2018. Read the full story here.

Update:

The suspect was taken back to the scene of the crime.

Read the full update here.

Original article:

The man who robbed a Western Union remittance outlet in Ubi Avenue 1 on Tuesday (Aug 1), at around 10.50am, has been arrested.

Police apprehended the suspect, a 56-year-old Singaporean, at Pasir Ris Drive 6 on Aug 3, at 10.35pm.

It was earlier reported that the man, who was wearing a face mask, had entered the bank armed with a knife, ordered an employee not to shout, demanded money and then fled.

According to The Straits Times, about $4,000 was handed to him before he made his getaway on a bicycle. However, he dropped some of the money during his escape and got away with an amount of $1,071.

More than 130 officers were involved in tracking the robber down, said the police.

Besides combing CCTV footage from public and police cameras to establish his identity, they also went door-to-door in the surrounding estate.

A red bicycle, four 4D tickets, black shoes, dark blue trousers and a green face mask were recovered from the suspect, but no cash was found.

Preliminary investigations showed that he spent almost all the money, including on 4D tickets. Meanwhile, police are still trying to locate the knife and white helmet.

Commander of Bedok Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Tan Tin Wee, said: "I’m very proud of my officers. Despite the initial lack of leads, they have worked long and hard over three days to trace the suspect’s movements, establish his identity, and subsequently bring him to justice.

"The police do not tolerate such brazen acts and we will spare no effort to hunt down these offenders to ensure that they face the full brunt of the law."

The man will be charged in court on Aug 5 for armed robbery. If found guilty, he is liable to a jail term between two and 10 years, and at least 12 strokes of the cane.