Man Cries & Apologises For Stealing $800 From Yishun Spice Shop, Transfers Money Back

Man Who Stole $800 From Yishun Spice Shop Cries & Apologises

Owning up to the person you’ve wronged isn’t easy—it takes courage.

That’s exactly what one man did after running away with $800 from a spice shop in Yishun on 3 Jun.

CCTV footage caught him in the act, prompting the shopowner to launch a post seeking help from the public to identify him.

After the post had gone viral, shopowner Mr Jeya Seelan shared that the perpetrator has finally owned up to committing the offence yesterday (5 Jun).

Source

Instead of lodging a police report, the shopowner accepted his apology and considered the case closed.

Man apologises for stealing from Yishun spice shop & returns the money

According to the Facebook post, the owner of Jeya Spices in Yishun updated that the perpetrator dropped by his shop with a friend at 2.40pm on Saturday (5 Jun) to confess.

The man, wearing a white shirt, was said to be “in some level of discomfort”. He started crying and apologising to Mr Jeya.

Source

His friend tried to calm him down during the process and swiftly transferred the $800 back to Mr Jeya. Seeing this touching scene before him, Mr Jeya said,

He was, in my eyes, repentant and that was enough for me.

As such, the shop owner won’t be escalating matters to the authorities. He’s agreed to remove the initial Facebook post reporting the theft and said the case is closed.

Treats customers as guests in his own house

When such an incident occurs, Mr Jeya said it strengthens the community spirit. He shared that he treats his customers as his own family.

There are no customers to him—only brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunties. Mr Jeya then said,

If you are having a tough time and you need groceries for free, let me know, no questions will be asked.

Hence, he assured those in need that it was OK to ask for help because “we are all in this together”.

Thanks for keeping the kampung spirit alive, Mr Jeya

Even though theft is a criminal offence, it’s heartwarming to see Mr Jeya take the high road and forgive the person who stole from him.

It mustn’t have been easy to make such a decision. But thankfully, the perpetrator proved to be sincere in his apology.

While we may not know the hardships he’s facing in life, we hope he can consider reaching out to Mr Jeya next time if he is having a hard time making ends meet.

Kudos to Mr Jeya for keeping the kampung spirit alive and well in Yishun.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at hello@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from Facebook and Google Maps.