‘Please help me look out for thief’: Blind busker in Yishun puts up sign after getting money stolen

Blind busker in Yishun gets his busking money stolen

A blind busker in Yishun allegedly had his earnings stolen from his collection box.

According to Shin Min Daily News, 60-year-old musician Mr Leo Lin, known affectionately as the “Orchard Road Uncle”, recently erected a sign at his usual performance area, asking passersby to be on the lookout for thieves.

The sign, written in English and Chinese, reads: “Please help me to look out for thief”.

Has been busking since 1992

A fixture along the underground walkway between Yishun MRT Station and Northpoint, Mr Lin has been a street performer since 1992. According to the Chinese news site, he was one of the first locals to join the street performance scene in the 90s.

Mr Lin moved his busking spot to Yishun from Orchard Road MRT Station about a decade ago. He typically starts his performances at 1pm and ends at about 9pm, relying on the generosity of the public for tips.

The 60-year-old supports himself entirely through busking and apparently donates whatever extra money he receives to the National Arts Council.

“I only need to support myself and the donations are enough for food and daily expenses,” he said.

Thief would allegedly take his money while he’s in the toilet

Unfortunately, his trust in the kindness of strangers was exploited earlier this year when an unidentified thief allegedly stole some money left in his donation bucket.

Such thefts have happened before, Mr Lin told the Chinese paper, but he did not “expect it to happen again”.

Determined to prevent further thefts and protect Mr Lin’s earnings, his sister took the initiative to put up the bilingual sign alongside Mr Lin’s performance spot, warning onlookers to “look out for thief”.

“Some people steal money when he is in the toilet,” Ms Lin, 60, said. “And some even quietly walk up to him and steal money.”

Ms Lin added that while their family had been affected by the incidence of theft, they felt comforted by the fact that members of the public would tell Mr Lim whenever they spotted a thief attempting to steal his earnings.

“In Singapore, there are more good people than bad people,” she said.

Situation improved after sign was put up

According to Ms Lin, since the sign was put up earlier this year, there has not been any incidence of theft.

Despite the incident, Mr Lin remains positive.

“Life is like this,” he said, adding that he has also met kind people in his over 30 years of busking.

“Some people will want to take advantage of you, but of course, there are also people who will help you.”

Also read: Iconic Tampines busker said to have died aged 71, he performed a week before passing 

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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.