3 boys allegedly steal 5 Labubu dolls in Yishun by tilting claw machine

Three boys allegedly stole five Labubu dolls worth a total of S$300 in Yishun.

Their antics were apparently discovered as they were caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage tilting a claw machine to purportedly retrieve the dolls.

Speaking to Mothership, the owner of the claw machine, Derrick He, said the incident occurred on Nov. 18 between 6:30am and 7:30am.

The machine was placed outside his pet shop at Block 930 Yishun Central 1.

Something amiss

He said he noticed something amiss when he opened his store for business.

The wires connected to the claw machine had been torn off, while its lights, which were turned on 24 hours a day, had gone out, according to Lianhe Zaobao.

In addition, the dolls in the machine had also been toppled over.

This prompted him to check the surveillance footage.

What did CCTV footage show?

According to footage taken at around 7am and shared with Mothership, two of the boys were seen tilting the machine over to one side.

They were then joined by a third boy.

The three of them were then seen loitering around the machine as other members of the public passed by.

One of the boys was also seen pretending to play with the machine.

After a while, the three of them tilted the machine again, this time laying it almost horizontal to the ground, before pushing it back up.

One of the boys was then seen bending down towards the opening of the machine where they dolls are dispensed.

Another photo shared by He showed one of the boys walking away from the machine with what was presumably boxes containing the Labubu dolls.

Machine installed outside his store 10 months ago

According to He, he had installed the machine outside his store about 10 months ago and it has proven to be very popular.

The Straits Times reported that the machine had attracted double the crowd about 10 days ago when He put in 11 Labubu dolls.

He added that he would leave the remaining dolls inside the machine despite the incident.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed a report had been lodged and investigations are ongoing.

Top photos courtesy of Derrick He