Man, 64, who attempted to snatch handbag of woman, 72, at Balestier bus stop, caught on CCTV

A 64-year-old man has been charged in court on Jul. 20 for his suspected involvement in an attempted snatch theft in Balestier.

What happened

According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident occurred on the evening of Jul. 16 at a bus stop outside a hotel at 226 Balestier Road.

Police said they were alerted to the incident at about 8:40pm that day.

A 72-year-old woman was at a bus stop when the man, identified in the charge sheet as Wang Dejin (transliteration), allegedly attempted to snatch her handbag, but was unsuccessful.

He later fled the scene empty-handed.

Following investigations, police officers established his identity and arrested him two days later.

Citing the charge sheet, Shin Min reported that Wang was alleged to have forcefully pulled at the elderly woman's Coach handbag, which was valued at S$500 and slung over her right shoulder.

The handbag reportedly contained S$586 in cash, a power bank, bank cards, a Chinese identity card and a long-term visit pass.

Wang is currently being remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric evaluation and the case was adjourned to Aug. 3.

He was charged in court for the offence of snatch theft.

If convicted, he could face a jail term of not less than one year and not more than seven years, and will also be liable to caning.

Caught on CCTV

Speaking to Shin Min, several shop owners in the area said police officers were at the scene on the night of the incident and requested CCTV footage from nearby businesses.

One shop employee said officers approached him as he was about to leave work to review his store's surveillance footage.

"I spent more than an hour reviewing the footage that day but didn't find anything, so I ended up leaving work late," he said. "The next day, the police officers came back and found a video of what appeared to be the suspect fleeing, and recorded it as evidence."

The employee said the man seen in the footage was wearing a white shirt, black shorts and a black baseball cap.

He added that the man appeared flustered after the incident and was seen fleeing the scene along Balestier Road.

In a statement issued on Jul. 19, the police said they would not tolerate such "brazen acts of crime" and would spare no effort in apprehending offenders and dealing with them in accordance with the law.

They advised members of the public who encounter such cases to remain calm, take note of the perpetrator's physical appearance and distinctive features, and contact the police as soon as possible.