Suspected armed robber nabbed
Posted: 29 December 2011 1718 hrs
SINGAPORE: Police have arrested a 42-year-old man believed to be behind a series of armed robberies targeting victims who advertise their mobile phones for sale at an online marketplace.
His first victim was a 27 year old who advertised to sell his mobile phone on the website this month.
The suspect contacted the victim and agreed to meet him to negotiate the sale at Blk 333 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 at about 4pm on 27 December.
When they met, the man took the victim up the block on the pretext of collecting payment from his unit.
But when they reached the upper floor, he confronted the victim at knife point and robbed him of cash, his mobile phone and jewellery worth a total of about S$10,000.
A similar case was reported the next day at about 6.40pm, at Blk 588 Woodlands Drive 16.
Investigation led to the discovery that the suspect was driving a vehicle with a false registration number.
Police had by then alerted others who had advertised to sell their phones online.
One person called back at 9pm on 28 December, saying he was contacted by someone who arranged to meet him at Tampines to buy his hand phone.
Police mounted a stakeout and spotted the vehicle with the false registration number reported in the second case.
They cornered and arrested the suspect and seized three mobile phones, a knife, prepaid phone cards and the vehicle.
Preliminary investigation revealed the suspect was behind the earlier two cases and could have targeted more than 15 victims.
Police said he could also have been behind a break-in at a Pasir Ris clinic in early December, where cough mixture was stolen.
The suspect will be charged on Friday in court for armed robbery.
If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to 14 years and can be caned at least 12 strokes.
- CNA/wk
