On Sept. 13, a woman took to Facebook to share an incident about being molested on the North East Line, as well as on the escalator at Serangoon MRT:

Suspect arrested on Sept. 16

According to the woman's original Facebook post, the alleged molester got away despite seeking assistance from the MRT station personnel.

A police report was made and she was informed that “there’s a team that will get on it”.

After follow-up investigations, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) issued a statement on Sept. 17, stating that "officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division established the identity of the man".

The SPF said that the 23-year-old man was arrested along Hougang Avenue 5 on Sept. 16 for his suspected involvement in a case of outrage of modesty.

According to The New Paper, the arrested man is a student from the National University of Singapore.

Molest should be reported

According to the same statement released by the SPF, incidents of molest should be reported:

"If you are molested, seek help immediately from those around you. Take note of the prominent features and attire of the suspect as well as the direction in which he or she went. Call ‘999’ as soon as possible to increase the chances of apprehending the suspect early. If it is safe to do so, the victim or other witnesses of the crime may assist to detain the suspect while waiting for the police to arrive."

Anyone convicted of outrage of modesty is liable for a jail term of up to two years, or with fine, caning, or with any combination of such punishments.

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Preventing and deterring OM

In the Mid-Year Crime Statistics For January To June 18 released by the SPF, outrage of modesty cases have increased by 20 percent in the first half of 2018.

As one of the new initiatives to prevent and deter molest on public transport, the SPF has piloted a plan for volunteers from community programme Citizens On Patrol (COP) to patrol train stations, in addition to the areas they usually cover, such as void decks and parks.

These volunteers will keep an eye out for suspicious characters and distribute crime prevention pamphlets at the train stations.

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