A commuter who lost her 999-gold bracelet on a train ride to VivoCity had little hope of seeing it again — but thanks to the swift actions of several SBS Transit staff members, the precious item was safely returned the very next day.
The incident, which took place on 6 Jan, was shared on SBS Transit’s Facebook page on 23 Feb, with staff members credited for finding and returning the bracelet.
In response to queries by MS News, Mr Liew Chuen Yen, 45, explained that his wife, visiting from Malaysia, had lost the bracelet on her way to VivoCity.
Source: SBS Transit Ltd on Facebook
According to Mr Liew, his wife did not know where she had lost her bracelet.
When she realised it was missing around 5.45pm, she had already visited several shops in the mall and couldn’t recall if it was still on her wrist when she alighted from the train.
“Honestly, we didn’t have much hope of getting it back, but we still decided to report the loss at HarbourFront MRT,” Mr Liew shared in his Facebook Post, regarding the incident.
His wife had also revisited every shop to lodge a report, which included VivoCity’s customer service.
Source: SMRT
Mr Liew shared that his wife was initially despondent, feeling that it was “probably the end of it” given the number of commuters in the train.
“With gold prices soaring this year, it would be hard to expect someone to return it,” he shared.
However, he remained hopeful and told his wife that he believed someone would return it, despite his own reservations.
“Deep in my heart, I didn’t have much hope either. Still, I couldn’t say anything that would make her feel worse — so I chose to stay confident for her.”
SBS Transit’s Facebook post revealed that Customer Service Officer Muhammad Sufian Bin Dahlan noticed something luminous resting on a seat during his routine patrol on the train.
Source: SBS Transit Ltd on Facebook
“I didn’t think much about whether the bracelet was real gold,” he said. “It was clearly a passenger’s belonging, so I reported it immediately as a lost item.”
He subsequently handed the bracelet over to the staff at Clarke Quay MRT station.
Assistant Station Manager (ASM) Toh De Li recalled that when the bracelet was passed to him, it felt “heavy and valuable”.
He promptly filed a lost-and-found report that same night, hoping the rightful owner would retrace their steps.
An alert was also sent out to all stations along the North East Line to facilitate the search for the owner.
The following morning, HarbourFront MRT Station confirmed that a matching lost item report had been filed.
ASM Bong Boon Vui reached out to Mr Liew and invited him to the station to collect the bracelet.
Source: SBS Transit Ltd on Facebook
Mr Liew shared with MS News that he had initially missed the call as it was from an unknown number. However, his wife guessed that it might be someone calling regarding the bracelet.
“And true enough, it was someone from Clarke Quay MRT station asking if I had reported a lost bracelet. They told me I could collect it at Clarke Quay station later that day.”
According to ASM Leobardo Raymund, the OP was able to accurately describe the bracelet and shared a picture of his wife wearing it as proof of ownership.
“He was visibly relieved and expressed his heartfelt thanks to us,” he said.
SBS Transit praised its staff for exemplifying honesty, teamwork, and care for commuters.
“We are so proud of you, because the brightest gold is not what was found, but the values that we live by,” it stated in the post.
Mr Liew echoed these sentiments, thanking the SBS Transit staff for their “honesty and kindness”.
“I am truly grateful to all of them, and I apologise for not mentioning everyone in my original post,” he said.
He thanked SBS Transit for “nurturing such dedicated and honest staff”.
It is people like them who make Singapore a better place — and I truly believe that.
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Featured image adapted from SBS Transit Ltd on Facebook.