Two men, who allegedly employed sleight of hand techniques to steal about S$134,000 (US$100,800) from a money changer along Serangoon Road, were arrested in Kuala Lumpur and returned to the Singapore.

The incident occurred on Dec. 2, 2022, the Singapore Police Force said in a news release on July 27.

What happened

The two men, aged 36 and 70, allegedly approached the money changer on the pretext of exchanging Singapore dollars to euros and U.S. dollars.

When they were presented with US$25,000 and €70,000 -- about S$134,000 -- one of the suspects put the money into a bag with a number lock attached.

He then left the bag at the money changer as he said he had to withdraw Singapore dollars to complete the exchange.

When he returned, the men wanted the money changer to verify the US$25,000 and €70,000 were correct.

It was during this process that the genuine notes were allegedly swapped with counterfeit notes.

The men then left with the bag containing the genuine notes, saying that they would complete the transaction when they returned.

When the two men did not return after a few hours, the money changer opened the black bag and discovered that only one €200 note, one €500 note, and one US$100 note were genuine.

The other notes were supposedly counterfeit notes.

Left Singapore

The identities of the two men were established on the same day through extensive ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras and CCTV footage.

But the two men had left Singapore on the same day of the reported incident.

With cooperation and assistance rendered by the Royal Malaysian Police, the two men were arrested at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 26.

The men were handed over to the Singapore Police Force on July 27.

Both men are to be charged in court on July 28 with abetment to commit theft in dwelling.

The offence of theft in dwelling carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years and a fine.

All photos via Singapore Police Force