A man who allegedly robbed a licensed moneylender outlet in Tampines was charged in court on Tuesday (4 June).
Armed with a knife, 39-year-old Australian national Jose Manuel Pacheco had reportedly robbed S$6,095 from a female victim.
He was subsequently arrested and has been granted a bail of S$20,000.
According to Channel News Asia (CNA), the robbery occurred on Monday (3 June) at around 1.40pm.
Pacheco was accused of robbing a 32-year-old woman at Tampines Central’s Accredit Private Limited, a licensed moneylender outlet.
Source: Accredit Private Limited
A Singapore Police Force (SPF) statement, released later that day, detailed that the suspect was wearing a mask and cap when he robbed the moneylender outlet.
He held the female victim at knifepoint and demanded cash to be placed in a bag.
The police reported that the victim remained calm and maintained her composure during the incident and memorised the suspect’s clothes and how he looked.
After alerting the police of the suspect’s description and attire, responding officers placed the man under arrest within half an hour of the robbery and recovered the stolen money.
According to The Straits Times (ST), Pacheco was charged with one count of robbery while armed with a deadly weapon on Tuesday (4 June).
Pacheco is currently remanded and appeared dishevelled when he attended court proceedings online.
The charge sheet stated that Pacheco’s use of a knife during the robbery had made the victim fearful of being hurt.
Source: Singapore Police Force
Court documents also did not specify if the victim was a staff member of the moneylender outlet.
A police prosecutor requested for the case to be adjourned for four weeks, explaining that more time was needed for further investigations.
District Judge Lim Tse Haw also granted Pacheco a bail of S$20,000, which was applied for by the prosecutor.
Pacheco has been instructed to surrender his passport and remain contactable by the investigations officer while out on bail.
If found guilty of the charge, Pacheco faces up to 14 years in jail and at least 12 strokes of the cane.
Also read: 2 M’sians charged for armed gang robbery at King Albert Park, stole S$4.34M in valuables
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Featured image adapted from Accredit Private Limited and Singapore Police Force.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
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