Tourist in S'pore chases down man who allegedly stole Gucci handbag with S$8,000 cash with help of passersby

A Chinese tourist in Singapore allegedly chased down a man who snatched her handbag at Circular Road.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the 38-year-old woman, surnamed Wan, had met the man earlier that evening after he approached her near People’s Park Complex and offered to help her exchange money and find new accommodations.

He was subsequently arrested.

Man offered to help her exchange money

The incident took place at around 9pm on Aug. 30 near Circular Road, Shin Min reported.

Wan told the Chinese-language newspaper that she had arrived in Singapore on Aug. 29 and was staying at Mercure ICON Singapore City Centre.

At around 6:30pm the following day, she was shopping near People's Park Complex when a middle-aged man approached her.

Wan said the man spoke fluent Mandarin and told her he was from Taiwan, which made her feel more comfortable speaking to him.

He also claimed to have lived in Singapore for some time.

Wan then told the man that she was looking for a bank to exchange money and that she was unhappy with her hotel.

He offered to help her with both.

Wan then returned to her hotel to collect her belongings before meeting him again at around 7:30pm.

The man subsequently brought her to what appeared to be a mobile phone shop, which he claimed belonged to a friend.

According to Wan, the shop offered an exchange rate of S$1 to 5.5 yuan, and she exchanged 44,000 yuan for S$8,000.

The man then told her that he would take her to Boat Quay before bringing her to the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

Wan said he told her the destinations were nearby, but they ended up walking for a long time.

She eventually suggested taking a ride there instead, but the man allegedly told her he knew a shortcut and that they would reach their destination within 10 minutes.

It was then that she began to suspect that something was amiss, Wan said.

Man allegedly snatched her handbag and ran

Wan told Shin Min the man had deliberately led her on a detour, and that she ended up walking for more than an hour and was exhausted.

When they reached Circular Road, Wan said she told the man she did not want to walk any further.

He then suggested that they go to a nearby bar, but she firmly refused.

Wan said the man realised she had become suspicious and suddenly snatched her Gucci handbag before running away.

She then gave chase while shouting for help.

According to Wan, the handbag was worth more than S$5,000 and contained S$8,000 in cash that she had exchanged earlier.

She added that she had bought the bag about three to four months ago.

The man allegedly ran into a back alley, with Wan chasing him for about two blocks.

A male passer-by later heard her cries for help and intervened, she said.

Another man who witnessed the incident also joined the chase and the two men eventually caught up with the suspect.

She said some members of the public helped to keep an eye on the man while others called the police.

In response to Mothership's queries, police said they received a call for assistance at 1 Circular Road at around 9:05pm that Sunday.

They subsequently arrested a 45-year-old man for theft.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Man allegedly claimed he was her friend

Wan told Shin Min that after the man was apprehended, he allegedly told police that he was her friend and that the handbag-snatching was merely a prank.

Wan pointed out how absurd that was considering how far she had chased him, and how exhausted she was.

Wan added that she had travelled overseas alone on previous occasions without encountering such incidents, and had therefore let her guard down this time round.

She added that she later contacted the witnesses who had helped her and invited them for a meal and coffee at a shopping mall near her hotel.