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A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to six months' jail for stealing and attempting to steal e-scooters from three Carousell sellers on three separate occasions, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The perpetrator reportedly told the sellers that he wanted to test the e-scooters and was willing to let the seller hold on to his "Rolex watch" as assurance, which he claimed was worth S$13,800.

The Rolex turned out to be a fake, and the perpetrator did not return to deal with the sellers after his "test ride".

The three sellers involved in the case are aged 16, 17, and 19 respectively.

How it happened

On Jan. 19, the perpetrator approached one of the sellers and expressed his intention to purchase the e-scooter that was listed for S$3,000 on Carousell, according to Shin Min.

The seller then asked his 16-year-old friend to help him complete the deal, as the seller could not leave his house that day.

Subsequently, the seller's friend brought along three other friends and went to meet the perpetrator at a playground in Punggol Drive.

The perpetrator reportedly wore a gold necklace and gold Rolex watch, introduced himself as a loan shark, and said "money was not a problem".

After expressing his wishes to test the e-scooter, he left his Rolex watch with the seller's friend as assurance, and claimed that the watch was worth S$13,800.

The perpetrator never returned after the "test ride", and reportedly told the victim that he was on his way to the police station and did not wish to speak to anyone when contacted.

The victim then filed a police report, and gave the description that the perpetrator had tattoos on his limbs, which resulted in the perpetrator being arrested on the same day.

Not his first time

On Jan. 18, a day before he was arrested, the perpetrator attempted the same trick on another seller who listed an e-scooter at the price of S$800, as per Shin Min.

In the course of setting up a meeting, the perpetrator reportedly agreed to pay the 17-year-old seller S$20 as deposit, while also agreeing to pay the seller's taxi fare.

After they met, the perpetrator transferred S$20 to the seller and requested a "test ride".

The seller was unwilling to handover the key, worried that the perpetrator would simply run away on the e-scooter.

The perpetrator then gave multiple assurances that he would not run away with the e-scooter, before changing his mind and saying that he did not want to proceed with the deal.

The seller proceeded to refund the S$20 deposit, which the perpetrator denied receiving.

Subsequently, the seller took the perpetrator's phone to show him that the transfer had gone through. Then, the perpetrator threw a fit all of a sudden, and hit the seller's face twice.

The perpetrator was sentenced to six months' jail, and will serve one more day in jail after failing to reimburse a medical bill of S$121.

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