Police have arrested three men within 3 hours after the trio had committed two robberies consecutively in the vicinity of Little India.

On 22 Aug 10 at about 5.30 am, a 32 year-old man reported to the Police that three dark-skinned men had earlier assaulted and robbed him of his Nokia handphone and $4 cash along Desker Road. However, the victim was not able to provide a clear description of the suspects as he was caught by surprise and the area where he was robbed was dimly lit. About half an hour later, a 34 year-old woman also reported that she had just been robbed of her sling-bag by two dark-skinned men along Serangoon Road. She too was unable to provide any clear description of the suspects.

Suspecting that both cases may be linked, officers from Central Police Division were immediately alerted to look out for the suspects in the vicinity of Little India. Shortly after 6.45 am, officers sighted a male subject along Cuff Road and decided to conduct a check on him. The said subject was interviewed at length and subsequently led the officers to a shophouse along Cuff Road where two other suspects believed to be involved in the robberies were found. The belongings of the two victims were successfully recovered from the said premises and the three suspects were placed under arrest.

The three suspects, aged between 18 to 31 years old, will be charged in Court on 24 Aug 10 for an offence of Robbery with Hurt under Section 394 of the Penal Code. The offence carries a punishment of between 5 to 20 years' imprisonment and not less than 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction. The suspects are also believed to be responsible for other robbery cases reported in the area and a court order will be sought for their remand to facilitate further investigations.

Commander of Central Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Tan Hung Hooi, commended his officers for their vigilance and good investigative skills which led to the swift arrest of the suspects.