S'pore woman, 75, visits Europe for 1st time, gets bank cards & S$2,000 stolen from backpack

A 75-year-old Singaporean woman was having a merry time during her first visit to Europe on a 12-day cruise until she discovered that her bag containing valuables worth over S$2,000 had been stolen.

Went ashore

According to Shin Min Daily News, the 75-year-old Zheng (transliteration) joined a European cruise in November this year with her 36-year-old goddaughter, Cao (transliteration).

They departed on Nov. 20 and began their 12-day journey.

"Most of the time, we stayed on the cruise and would only disembark when we docked at a pier. On the 29th, we arrived in Slovakia and visited a Christmas market," Zheng said.

Worried that Zheng might be tired due to her old age and the uneven pavements, Cao placed her shoulder-slung bag into her own backpack.

Bag gone missing upon return

When they got back to the cruise, Zheng wanted to retrieve her phone from the bags.

It was then that they discovered that the backpack had been unzipped and the sling bag was no longer inside.

The sling bag contained a passport, an identity card, several bank cards, and about S$2,000 in cash.

They immediately informed the tour guide and agency and made a police report.

Cao said they did not expect to encounter the mishap during the last few days of their travels.

Zheng and Cao shared that they approached Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for help with returning to Singapore after the incident.

First time in Europe

The 75-year-old shared that this was her first visit to Europe.

She was enjoying herself till the theft and shared that she similarly did not expect to become a target in the final few days of the vacation.

The incident affected her mood, she expressed.

Apart from feeling heartbroken over the loss of her valuables, the trouble of replacing her official documents also added to Zheng's woes.

"In the final two days, I didn't have the mood to enjoy anymore, so I just stayed on the cruise," Zheng said, adding that the entire trip was affected by the theft.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News