Stomper catches man riffling through bag he left at Hougang eatery, later realises his phone got stolen

When Stomper Dananjaya went back for a bag that he had left behind at an eatery in Hougang, he did not expect to see a diner going through his belongings.

Nevertheless, he retrieved his items and left -- only to realise later that his gold-coloured Samsung A22 phone was missing.

When Dananjaya returned to the eatery again, the diner was gone but CCTV footage shows that he had taken the phone.

In response to a Stomp query, the police confirm that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.

Dananjaya said the incident occurred at Al Falah Restaurant on Saturday (July 8), at around 10.15pm.

He told Stomp: "I came back for my bag after I remembered that I had left it there. This guy had pulled out all my clothes from the bag and asked if they were mine. I said yes, but did not check the bag's contents until I got into a taxi.

"That's when I realised my phone was not in the bag. I went back to the eatery but the guy was already gone."

In a video that Dananjaya shared, the man and his female companion are seen approaching the table where the Stomper had left his bag. Both can be seen noticing the bag on the ground and peering inside as they sit down.

The man, who is seated right next to the bag, is spotted removing what appears to be Dananjaya's mobile phone from the bag while in the presence of eatery staff.

In the video's background, someone - presumably an employee of the eatery - can be heard telling Dananjaya that the man had requested to change tables after committing the theft.

The same voice also points out that the man had "purposely put his hand" inside the bag to take the phone.

The man then apparently turns off Dananjaya's phone and pockets it, before proceeding to riffle through the bag. He is seen removing a pair of pants from the bag and searching through its pocket.

At this point, Dananjaya appears looking for his bag.

The man returns the pants to Dananjaya and even waves at the latter as he leaves.

According to the Stomper, nothing else except the phone was stolen.

He added: "I have made a police report at Hougang Neighbourhood Police Centre."

View more photos in the gallery.