For many of us, stocking up on groceries at our nearby supermarkets can be a pleasantly therapeutic experience.
Unfortunately, for Madam Siti Mariam, her supermarket trip turned out to be a deeply distressing experience after she was allegedly molested at a Sheng Siong outlet in Bukit Batok.
Source: Facebook
Thankfully, she and three other staff managed to catch the culprit who was eventually arrested.
She has since shared the unpleasant incident to encourage victims who might have had similar experiences to not be afraid of speaking up.
In the Facebook post, Madam Mariam said she was picking up some items at the dry goods section of the supermarket, located at Block 154A Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, last Thursday (21 Apr).
Suddenly, she felt “a hand [had] cupped and brushed up her (my) butt”.
Madam Mariam claimed that the “intentional caress” lasted for “a good two seconds”.
When she turned around, she saw an elderly man “grinning back at her (me)” while having a mask on. She knew he was smiling because she “could see his crow lines scrunched up distinctively”.
She immediately shouted to ask the culprit what he was doing and brought up her hand in an attempt to slap him.
However, she hit his phone instead and “bellowed” that she was calling the police.
The shocked culprit then attempted to flee the scene. Madam Mariam was determined not to let him get away and proceeded to give chase while screaming for help.
Though she eventually managed to grab him by the collar, the man managed to break free. Madam Mariam then lost sight of him when he ran to the nearby carpark.
Luckily, three Sheng Siong employees managed to pursue the culprit and caught him before he got away scot-free.
The police later arrested the 66-year-old man who admitted he had intentionally molested Madam Mariam because “he felt like molesting today, and so he did”. His actions were also captured by the CCTV.
MS News has reached out to Sheng Siong for a statement and will update this article when they get back.
Madam Mariam said she hopes that by sharing her personal experience, victims of similar encounters will not be afraid to seek help.
She strongly urged everyone not to hesitate if they encounter such unpleasant incidents or dismiss them.
She also commended the staff for rushing over to chase the culprit and said she wouldn’t have been able to capture the man without their kind help.
Madam Marriam must have been shocked to experience such a brazen act in public.
However, her courage to speak about the incident in order to spread awareness about molestation is truly commendable.
Kudos to the staff for rendering assistance to nab the culprit in the nick of time.
Hopefully, the police get to the bottom of this incident and will bring the culprit to justice soon.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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