SINGAPORE: An elderly Singaporean couple, both 80, had valuables stolen—including the husband’s passport—during a recent trip to Johor Bahru, forcing them to extend their stay to obtain proper travel documents.
The theft occurred last Sunday (Dec 7) at around 5 p.m. while they were shopping at a mall in Skudai. So far, only the husband’s mobile phone has been recovered.
The couple had travelled to Johor for a luncheon organised by the National Taiwan University alumni association in Malaysia; some members later helped search for the stolen items.
Local media have shared CCTV footage showing the wife walking in a grocery store, followed by her husband, Mr Lin, who was pulling a shopping trolley. Close behind him was a man wearing a white cap, dark shirt and dark blue jeans, carrying a black sling bag and a plastic shopping bag.
He can be seen reaching into the trolley and taking something from it, before hiding it among his things and quickly leaving.
After their lunch gathering, the elderly couple decided to do a bit of shopping before heading back to Singapore, according to a report in Sin Chew Daily. However, when they were about to pay for their items, they found out that they were victims of a robbery.
Mr Lin’s bag, containing his passport, iPhone, credit card, and cash, was missing. In hindsight, Mr Lin recalled that he had been followed while he and his wife were browsing in the store. He quickly had his daughter, who was back home in Singapore, cancel his credit cards.
Mr Lin’s son, having learned of his parents’ predicament, travelled immediately from Singapore to Johor Bahru to help them. He was able to find his father’s phone in a garbage can at the shopping mall early on Dec 8 (Monday).
The security at the mall has also told the family that they have footage of the thief getting into a car with Mr Lin’s bag.
The plans of Mr Lin and his wife to return to Singapore immediately after their shopping trip had to be postponed, as he needed to go to the consulate in JB to get temporary travel documents. /TISG
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