A Singapore permanent resident (PR) has appealed for public assistance after his wallet was allegedly taken from a restaurant at a shopping mall in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, with CCTV footage capturing the incident.
The appeal was posted last Friday (23 Jan) in a Facebook group for the Singapore PR community, drawing attention from netizens on both sides of the Causeway.
In the post, the victim said it is suspected that the individuals involved may be from Singapore, as a YouTrip Mastercard, which typically requires registration with Singapore identification, was used for payment.
The man told 8world News that he and his wife had been dining at a restaurant in AEON Mall Tebrau City on 20 Jan to celebrate his wife’s birthday.
They finished their meal and paid at about 2.29pm before leaving the restaurant. Shortly after, the man went to the toilet and realised that his wallet was missing.
After checking with his wife, he returned to the restaurant at around 2.48pm, but the wallet was nowhere to be found.
Restaurant and mall CCTV footage later showed that an elderly couple, who had been seated at a neighbouring table, noticed the wallet left behind on a chair.
Source: 新加坡(PR)永久居民生活交流区 on Facebook
The footage showed the elderly man hesitating briefly before bending down to pick up the wallet and taking it with him.
The couple subsequently paid for their meal and left the restaurant without lingering.
Further mall CCTV footage showed the elderly man opening the wallet, removing cash, and placing the wallet into a white plastic bag.
Source: 新加坡(PR)永久居民生活交流区 on Facebook
The victim said the wallet contained about RM6,000 (approximately S$1,900) and S$1,000 in cash, along with important personal documents.
He added that he had recently travelled to Kuala Lumpur with his family and was therefore carrying more cash than usual, intending to spend some of it in Johor Bahru before depositing the remaining amount in a bank.
In his Facebook post, the victim said police investigations indicated that after leaving the mall, the elderly couple took a Grab ride to KSL City Mall.
Based on information obtained through Grab’s platform, the name “Goh” was linked to the ride.
He also noted that the couple paid using a YouTrip Mastercard, which typically requires registration with local identification.
Source: 新加坡(PR)永久居民生活交流区 on Facebook
This led him to suspect that they may be residents of Singapore.
The victim told reporters that he had lodged police reports in both Malaysia and Singapore, and shared a copy of his Singapore police report.
However, he said investigations have since reached a standstill due to jurisdictional limitations, as the case involves two countries and different enforcement authorities.
Speaking to 8world, he said there has been no concrete progress despite two days having passed.
In his Facebook post, the victim appealed to anyone who might recognise the elderly couple to help contact them, saying he hoped to clarify what had happened and recover his wallet.
One netizen commented that the couple appeared familiar and were often seen in the Taman Daya area in Johor Bahru, though this lead has yet to be verified.
The victim said he hopes his experience will prompt broader discussion on how authorities on both sides of the border can better cooperate to protect members of the public.
Investigations are ongoing.
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Featured image adapted from 新加坡(PR)永久居民生活交流区 on Facebook.