Police have arrested a 47-year-old man who is believed to be responsible for several cases of snatch theft involving elderly female victims, aged between 52 and 67 years, in the Choa Chu Kang and Teck Whye Housing Estates.

Beginning in January this year, several cases of snatch theft were reported in the Choa Chu Kang housing estate. In these cases, the suspect would follow his elderly female victims into the lifts of HDB blocks, where he would snatch their jewellery. It is believed that the suspect would select his victims from a nearby market or LRT station, and follow them back to their blocks, where he would strike.

As the elderly persons were not able to provide good descriptions of the suspect, officers from Jurong Police Division set up a Special Task Force to study the crime trend with the intent of quickly apprehending the suspect. Through intensive enquiries and follow-up investigations, the officers managed to establish the identity of the suspect on 3 Feb 2010.

On the same day, another snatch theft involving an elderly female victim was reported.

Briefly, at about 3.30 pm, a 52-year-old woman was on her way home from the market when a man followed her into the lift of Blk 113 Teck Whye Lane. When she exited the lift on the second floor, the man approached her from behind and snatched her gold necklace, valued at about $4,000/- . Thereafter, he ran down the staircase and made good his escape. The victim, who was traumatised, called ‘999’ and reported the incident to the Police immediately.

Following the call, the team of officers from the Special Task Force sprang into action and proceeded to the incident site. Through ground enquiries, the officers established that the snatch thief in this case was likely to be the same suspect they had been working on. The investigative trail led the officers to a pawnshop in the area, where they managed to establish that shortly before they arrived, the suspect had pawned the stolen necklace for $3,330, and left the shop. Based on this information, the officers assessed that there was a good chance the suspect was still in the vicinity, and immediately combed the area. Their decisive and timely efforts paid off two and a half hours later when they spotted the culprit cycling along Choa Chu Kang Ave 4, where they detained him. Upon a search, cash amounting to $3,270 and a straw containing a powdery substance, believed to be a controlled drug, was found in his possession.

Commander Jurong Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Cheang Keng Keong commended his officers for their prompt action, dedication, and excellent ground work in putting an end to this criminal threat to elderly persons. He said that Police take a serious view of those who prey on vulnerable victims and will spare no effort to bring such perpetrators to justice.

The suspect will be charged in Court 26 on 5 February 2010 for Snatch Theft under Section 356 of the Penal Code Chapter 224 which carries an imprisonment for a term of up to 7 years and caning.