Man allegedly steals S$60 of D24 durian from 99 Old Trees Durian shop in Chinatown

A man allegedly stole two boxes of durian from a shop in Chinatown, prompting the owner to make a police report.

On Jan. 21, 99 Old Trees Durian, a durian specialty cafe that also sells the fruit packed, shared CCTV footage of the incident on social media.

According to the footage's timestamp, the incident happened at about 2:46pm on Jan. 15.

The owner, surnamed Chen (transliteration), told 8world that the man took two boxes of D24 durian worth about S$60.

Slipped them into bag

The video showed a man with a shoulder bag checking out the display of packed durian outside the shop.

He then picked up two boxes and went inside.

The durian then seemed to suddenly disappear once he was in the shop, as seen from the CCTV camera inside the shop's premises.

However, a camera pointed at the entrance from the side caught the man furtively slipping the two boxes of fruit into his bag as he stepped in.

Afterwards, he walked around and glanced at the display counter casually, as though nothing had happened.

The video concluded with Chen addressing the alleged thief while looking at the camera.

He said: "Good luck escaping Changi Prison."

The camera then panned to show Chen walking towards Police Cantonment Complex.

@99oldtrees Low crime doesn't mean no crime. You do crime, we do content on you. But seriously ah, if you really feel like eating and living on hard times, let us know, we treat you. #99oldtrees #livelaughliulian #thiefcaughtoncctvcamera ♬ original sound - 99 Old Trees Durian

A warning

When Chen saw the CCTV footage of the incident, he found it both funny and frustrating.

He decided to go public.

"Posting the video was just to remind everyone, do not fool around!" he said.

He shared that it was not the first time someone had stolen durian at the shop.

It would happened once or twice every few months, he said.

Each alleged theft would cost the shop tens of dollars.

In response to Mothership's queries about the Jan. 15 incident, the police confirmed that a report was lodged, and investigations are ongoing.

On Jan. 26, Chen told 8world that the police has identified the man, but Chen did not want to pursue the matter and take further action.

"I just wish that the man gets the warning, and does not go around committing further crimes," he said.

In his video caption, Chen also wondered if the man was facing financial difficulties in paying for the durian, and said he sympathised.

"If you really feel like eating and living on hard times, let us know, we treat you," he wrote.

Top images from 99oldtrees/TikTok