Thief who stole S$800 from Yishun spice stall apologises & returns money after owner's online request

The owner said that the man was repentant, and that he considered the matter closed.

Jason Fan | June 06, 2021, 12:37 AM

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Recently, the owner of a spice stall in Yishun made a public appeal online (June 4) to a thief, urging him to own up and return the money he stole.

His efforts paid off, as the thief visited the stall on Saturday (June 5), and did just that.

Act caught on CCTV

On June 3, just before noon, a man was caught on CCTV stealing S$800 from the spice stall, while two of the workers there were momentarily not tending to the stall.

The man took the cash, and even made a purchase with the money he took at the very same stall.

The stall's owner, Jeya Seelan, then wrote a Facebook post, asking the culprit to own up and return the money, as he wished to refrain from reporting the matter to the police.

"We are appealing for the perpetrator to own up because we don't want to make a police report yet, and make a permanent stain on his record," said Jeya.

The owner considers the matter closed

According to Jeya, the culprit visited his stall on June 5, along with a close friend of his.

Jeya described the man as being in "some level of discomfort", as he kept apologising while sobbing, while his friend attempted to calm him down.

He also said that the man was repentant in his eyes, and that his apology was enough for him.

The man's friend transferred the stolen S$800 to Jeya, who then agreed to take down the initial Facebook post, and consider the matter closed.

Jeya encouraged those who are having a tough time and need groceries for free to reach out to him, and promised that he won't probe or ask any questions.

"It's okay to ask for help, it really is. We are all in this together," he said.

Top image via Google Maps/Shankar Ram & Jeya Seelan.