In-car camera footage among evidence used to track down Western Union robbery suspect
After a three-day manhunt, the robber (L) who fled with more than S$1,000 after allegedly threatening an employee at a Western Union branch in Ubi at knifepoint was caught on Thursday (Aug 3). Photos: SPF, Najeer Yusof/TODAY
SINGAPORE — A combination of old-school detective work and new technology — in-car camera footage — helped the police track down the suspect who was at large for three days after robbing a Western Union branch in Ubi at knifepoint.
The police said on Friday (Aug 4) that they arrested the suspect, a 56-year-old Singaporean man, at 10.35pm on Thursday along Pasir Ris Drive 6.
On Tuesday, the suspect had purportedly threatened a female Western Union employer at Block 301, Ubi Avenue 1 with a knife and demanded that she hand over money, before fleeing with S$1,071.
An island-wide manhunt ensued. But unlike the first armed robbery at a Shell petrol station at Upper Bukit Timah Road on Monday, where the suspect was nabbed later on the same day, the Western Union robbery took three days to crack.
There was an "an initial lack of leads" as the robber concealed his identity by wearing a white helmet, a disposable face mask and a long-sleeve jacket, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Tan Tin Wee, commander of Bedok Police Division.
(Case exhibits recovered from the suspect. Photo: Esther Leong/TODAY)
In their bid to get fresh leads, Superintendent K Vasanthan, head investigator of Bedok Police Division, and his team knocked on as many doors as they could in order to retrieve closed-circuit TV (CCTV) footage from residents in various housing estates, as well as owners of shophouses and eateries.
They worked tirelessly on three to four hours of sleep daily. Once they learnt that the suspect had fled on a bicycle, they turned their efforts towards getting evidence from the in-car cameras of vehicles that might have been travelling on the road at the same time as the suspect.
The cars, the investigators said, were identified from the CCTV footage.
"There was no clear image, but that helped," said Mr Vasanthan. "It's the small things that helped us put the jigsaw pieces together."
About 130 officers from Bedok Police Division, Criminal Investigation Department and the Police Intelligence Department were involved in the three-day operation. In total, they pored through about 1,000 hours of CCTV footage.
At the point of arrest, TODAY understands the suspect was visibly tired and did not resist the police officers who were present. He was also wearing the same pair of pants he was seen in on Tuesday, when the robbery took place.
(Four 4D tickets bought by the suspect. Photo: Esther Leong/TODAY)
He was found with hardly any cash, just four 4D tickets that cost S$24. In one of his pockets was the disposable face mask he had worn beneath the helmet when he allegedly committed the robbery.
Subsequently, he led the police to Bedok, where he abandoned the red bicycle that he had used to flee the scene.
The suspect will be charged in court on Saturday with an offence of armed robbery. Anyone convicted of armed robbery faces a jail term of between two and 10 years, and up to 12 strokes of the cane.
Revealing more details of the robbery at a press conference on Friday, the police said the suspect had ordered the staff not to shout and demanded for money as he wielded a knife.
He initially took about S$4,000, but eventually fled with only S$1,071 in a plastic bag after dropping some of the cash. The rest of the money was later found near the carpark area behind the Western Union branch. The employee was not hurt.
