On Monday (17 Apr), a 57-year-old man tried to rob a stranger in a lift in Bukit Panjang, hoping to make away with his phone.
Little did he know, he picked the wrong person to mess with.
The victim of the snatch theft, Mr Cai Liang Cheng (transliterated from Mandarin), defended himself during the robbery attempt.
The robber tried to retaliate with violence, but he was eventually held down and tied up.
He was subsequently arrested by the police, and was charged in court yesterday (19 Apr).
According to Shin Min Daily News, a man tried to take Mr Cai’s handphone after he entered a lift at the ninth level of 432 Bukit Panjang Ring Road.
The 69-year-old said a man was initially facing away from him in the lift.
To Mr Cai’s surprise, the man suddenly turned and punched him from the side just as he was about to press a button in the lift.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The robber, Mr Hu Yi Ming (transliterated from Mandarin), then reached out and grabbed Mr Cai’s handphone from his shirt pocket.
The lift’s door had not closed, so Mr Cai grabbed Mr Hu and snatched his phone back.
But Mr Hu repeatedly punched Mr Cai again, then tried to escape with Mr Cai’s wallet.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
As Mr Cai resisted, the two men struggled, and the robber eventually pulled Mr Cai out of the lift.
That was when Mr Cai started shouting for help in Mandarin loudly multiple times to try to get his son’s attention.
His son happened to be on leave that day, so he rushed out of the house to help his father.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Shin Min Daily News reported that Mr Cai’s neighbour happened to hear the commotion outside his flat.
He immediately reported the incident to the police after hearing that a robbery was taking place.
He then passed Mr Cai’s son some string to tie the robber up while waiting for the police.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, Mr Cai expressed his appreciation for his neighbour.
He added that the offender was very strong and almost got away at one point.
During the scuffle, the perpetrator even ripped Mr Cai’s shirt.
Thankfully, Mr Cai only suffered some swelling in his chest area and superficial wounds on his body.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
He also sustained some cuts in his mouth, but overall did not suffer any major injuries from the incident.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The Singapore Police Force said in a statement that they were alerted to the incident at about 11.40am, and subsequently arrested Mr Hu for suspected robbery and assault.
Mr Cai noted that he recognised the assailant and believes he is a resident of the area. However, the two are not known to each other.
The case was heard in court on Wednesday (19 Apr).
The perpetrator’s drug test came back positive, so the court is awaiting a comprehensive report from the Health Sciences Authority.
Case proceedings will continue on 17 May.
If found guilty of causing hurt while attempting to commit robbery, Mr Hu may be sentenced to between five and 20 years imprisonment. He may also receive at least 12 stokes of the cane under section 394 of the Penal Code.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
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