Bank manager catches snatch thief

[Kensuke]

Bank manager catches snatch thief
Posted: 31 August 2012 1817 hrs

SINGAPORE: A bank manager helped to stop a snatch thief from running away with a victim's cash on Thursday.

The 53-year-old male victim was depositing some money at the cash deposit machine outside a bank located in Ang Mo Kio Central.

During the transaction, the male suspect, aged 37, came from behind the victim and snatched away the notes.

The victim's shouts for assistance attracted the attention of the bank manager.

The suspect tried to get away but was quickly caught by the bank manager and the CISCO officer who was on duty at the bank.

The victim's S$200 in cash was recovered from the suspect who was subsequently arrested by police.

The suspect will be charged in court on Saturday.

- CNA/cc

 

[Kensuke]

Bank manager chases snatch thief

Left: The suspect being led away by the police. Right: OCBC's centre manager, Mr Chan Cheng Mun.

By Ng Ee Ching
The New Paper
Monday, Sep 03, 2012

Theyare there to assist with customers' queries, explain the ins and outs of housing loans and offer advice on investment options.

But one bank manager gave the term "customer service" a whole new meaning when he helped a client chase a snatch thief who had made off with his cash at an ATM.

The suspect is a 37-year-old man.

Mr Chan Cheng Mun, a centre manager with the OCBC Bank branch at AMK Hub, managed to tackle the suspect and hold him till the police arrived. MrChan, 41, told The New Paper: "My mind was completely blank when it happened, but I knew I needed to protect the customers and their interests.

"I was wearing dress shoes, so I am really glad that I did not trip while chasing him."

The drama happened at 2.25pm on Thursday.

A taxi driver, who gave his name as MrChen, was using the cash deposit machine in the branch office at basement No. 1 of the mall to deposit some money when the alleged thief came up from behind and asked to borrow $4.

When Mr Chen refused, the man snatched the $200 that was in his hands and ran.

"I was shocked and immediately gave chase," he told Shin Min Daily News.

"I kept shouting, 'Help chase the thief!'"

Mr Chan told TNP that he had been attending to two customers in the crowded branch office when he heard Mr Chen shouting forhelp.

"I looked into the mass banking hall and didn't see any one, so I rushed out. I saw this man running away and my first instinct was to give chase.

"I shouted at a passer-by to block the thief's path. The thief tried to side-step the passer-by, but I crashed into him from behind and grabbed him very tightly so that he cannot escape."

He then single-handedly dragged the suspect into the bank branch and directed a Cisco guard to detain him in a meeting room.

"At that time, I was feeling quite anxious because the bank was crowded with about 30 customers and five staff members and the meeting room was quite near where they were," he said.

This is Mr Chan's first encounter with a snatch thief.

He has been working at OCBC for two years and has been the AMK Hub branch's centre manager for only three weeks.

Negotiated release

He said the suspect tried to negotiate his release by offering to return the $200.

When Mr Chan refused, the man tried to force open the meeting room to escape.

Mr Chan said: "The meeting room cannot be locked, so a Cisco guard, a staff member and myself had to hold the door closed until the police arrived."

The police arrived shortly and the suspect was arrested.

A police spokesman confirmed the arrest, adding that the suspect will be charged in court on Friday for snatch theft.

If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to seven years and caning.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) of Police Keok Tong San, the commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division, commended Mr Chan for his quick action which led to the suspect's arrest.

Mr Chan said the taxi driver was asked to hand over the $200 that was stolen to the police as evidence.

So the bank lent him the same amount interest-free out of goodwill.

He explained: "Mr Chen had come to deposit the money with the intention of transferring it to a friend.

"It was an unfortunate thing that happened to him, but when we offered to lend him the $200, he was so happy and grateful."