Updated: 12/04/2013 23:51 | By Channel NewsAsia
Man arrested for armed robbery in Geylang Bahru
SINGAPORE: Police on Wednesday arrested a 35-year-old man suspected of committing armed robbery at Geylang Bahru.
The suspect allegedly wielded a penknife and confronted a 33-year-old woman at an open carpark at about 4.15 pm on December 1.
The woman was at the time alone in her car and was about to drive off. The man made the victim move to the front passenger seat, which she complied.
He then drove the car to the upper deck of a multi-storey carpark nearby.
After parking the car, the man demanded for the woman's valuables which included a smartphone, a wristwatch valued at about S$2,000, ATM cards, a credit card, about S$200 in cash and US$200 in cash.
Fearful for her own safety, the woman revealed the PINs to her ATM cards when the man ordered her to do so.
After taking her valuables, the man tied up the woman using adhesive tape and fled the scene on foot.
The woman managed to free herself and drove out of the multi-storey carpark to seek help.
At 4.40pm, she called the police to report the matter using a mobile phone borrowed from a passer-by.
Police officers commenced a manhunt for the suspect.
The manhunt operation, initially conducted by the Central Police Division, extended to all parts of Singapore with the support of officers from the Police Intelligence Department and Police's Public Transport Security Command.
The officers then detected a man fitting the culprit's description while reviewing CCTV footages recorded on December 1.
The suspect was arrested by a team of officers on Wednesday along Scotts Road at about 3.25pm.
The suspect was at the time performing general contractual work in a building at Scotts Road.
Police found the victim's ATM cards and credit card, and cash of S$22 and US$1 on the suspect.
The suspect then led the officers to a unit along Geylang Bahru where a wristwatch, believed to belong to the victim, was recovered.
The bank cards, wristwatch and cash were seized from the suspect.
The suspect will be charged in court on Friday with armed robbery.
If convicted, he may be jailed up to 10 years and given at least 12 strokes of the cane. - CNA/nd
