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SINGAPORE: Police have arrested a man whom they believe preyed on elderly women in a series of snatch thefts and robberies in Yishun and Bedok in the past month.
At least nine victims reported losing their handbags and jewelleries, worth over S$5,000, to the thief.
In the latest incident on Wednesday, the suspect snatched a S$300 gold chain from a 76-year-old woman at Yishun Central.
The police, who had been analysing the crime pattern for a few weeks and set up ambushes, searched the area based on the description of his attire.
The 37-year-old man was caught after he was spotted behaving suspiciously at a shopping centre near the crime scene. He was also wearing the victim's gold chain around his neck.
The unemployed man, who is a Singaporean, will be charged in court on Friday. If convicted of snatch theft, he faces up to seven years' jail and caning.
According to a police statement, there had been 27 robberies and 42 snatch thefts involving elderly victims in the first quarter of this year alone.
In comparison, last year's figures for such crimes stood at 76 robberies and 165 snatch thefts. - CNA/de
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