A 72-year-old Singaporean man was targeted by a thief while travelling home on a bus after a recent trip to Johor Bahru (JB), Malaysia.
Mr Chen (transliterated from Mandarin) told Shin Min Daily News that he had gone shopping at KSL City Mall with a friend on Thursday (19 Dec).
At around 1pm, the two boarded a bus to return to Singapore but had to sit separately due to the crowded conditions.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Mr Chen took a seat in the second-last row next to a man who appeared to be in his 50s or 60s.
During the journey, Mr Chen noticed that the man next to him kept twisting his body.
However, he didn’t think much of it at the time and didn’t feel any contact or notice anything unusual.
When the bus reached Johor Bahru City Square, the man got off before Mr Chen, who then had dinner with his friend there.
It wasn’t until he arrived home at around 6pm that he realised S$450 in cash and one of his credit cards were missing from his wallet.
Source: towfiqu ahamed on Canva, for illustration purposes only
Realising he had been pickpocketed, Mr Chen immediately contacted his bank and discovered an unauthorised charge of S$800 on the stolen card.
The bank helped him cancel the card, and he reported the theft to the police.
Strangely, Mr Chen found that the thief had left more than RM200 (about S$60) in his wallet.
“I suspect the pickpocket was worried that I would cancel my card as soon as I realised my wallet was missing, so he put it back in my pocket and left the RM200 to mislead me,” Mr Chen explained.
“But I really don’t understand how he could have stolen the money without making any noise.”
According to Mr Chen, the bank would need two to three months to investigate the fraudulent transaction, although it’s unclear if the charge can be reversed.
Mr Chen said he would take extra precautions against pickpockets in JB by wearing trousers with deeper pockets and checking his pockets regularly to ensure his wallet was safe.
However, he never expected he would still fall victim to one.
He explained that he didn’t report the incident to Malaysian authorities because he was concerned the process would be too complicated.
With the New Year approaching, he decided to share his experience to warn others travelling to JB to stay more vigilant.
Also read: Thief in M’sia breaks into 3 houses to steal valuables within 9 mins
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and D-Keine on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
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