SINGAPORE: When a man suddenly grabbed the designer handbag of a woman from China who was visiting Singapore and ran away, she chased after him. Fortunately, two men who saw her during the incident stepped in to help her, and they were able to catch the snatcher.
According to reporting from Shin Min Daily News, the woman, Ms Wan, had come to Singapore on Aug 29. On the evening of the following day, as she was at People’s Park Complex, a middle-aged man came up to her.
He told her he was from Taiwan but had been living in Singapore for some time. Moreover, he could speak Mandarin fluently, which caused Ms Wan to let down her guard and believe he was trustworthy.
After Ms Wan opened up to the man about her dissatisfaction with Mercure ICON Singapore City Centre, where she was staying, and that she needed to find a bank so she could exchange money, the man told her he could help her.
After she retrieved her luggage from the hotel, Ms Wan met up with the man, who brought her to a shop where she was able to exchange 44,000 yuan for S$8,000.
The man then said he would take her to Marina Bay Sands to check in at the hotel. At that point, it was past 7:30 pm.
They then began walking for a long time, and when Ms Wan suggested they ride to the hotel instead, he said they would arrive there shortly. It was then that she grew suspicious of him.
At Circular Road, she said she did not want to walk any further, and when he suggested that they get a drink at a bar, she said no.
Ms Wan told Shin Min Daily News that it was then that he came to realise that she was suspicious of him. All of a sudden, he grabbed her bag and ran.
Her three-month-old Gucci handbag was worth around S$5,000 and contained the S$8,000 she had received at the money changer shop.
She then ran after him, shouting for help. A man who heard this joined her in her chase. He was joined by another man who realised what was happening, and the three were able to catch the man, and the police were called by the other witnesses whom Ms Gan asked to help.
When the police came, they arrested a 45-year-old man shortly past 9:00 pm for theft, though he claimed at first that he knew the woman and that they were friends. /TISG
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