Suspect in attempted Boon Lay pawn shop robbery used pink turban as part of disguise
It was the discovery of a backpack belonging to the suspect involved in Saturday (28 July) afternoon’s attempted robbery of a pawn shop outside Boon Lay MRT station that helped expedite the latter’s arrest.
At a press conference on Thursday, police said that the suspect – a 29-year-old Bangladeshi man – had dumped the backpack, which contained the clothes and items he used during the crime, behind a potted plant at a Jurong West HDB block. The backpack was found several hours after the incident by a resident, who then made a police report.
Yahoo News Singapore understands that the suspect’s name is Sheikh Md Razan.
Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of police camera images, officers from across three units and six land divisions were able to establish the suspect’s identity and he was subsequently arrested along Muscat Street at about 7pm on Wednesday.
The suspect was a construction worker who had been an overstayer since December last year. While CCTV footage from the shop showed the suspect wearing a pink turban during the attempted robbery, police said that he had donned it as part of a disguise.
Police are still searching for the replica gun used by the suspect during the attempted robbery, which the suspect claimed he had made from spare plastic parts.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Florence Chua noted that it was a “serious incident” that had attracted “significant public attention”, partly due to the use of the replica firearm.
Failed robbery, fake bomb
At 4.33pm on Saturday afternoon, police said they received a report that a man armed with a knife and replica gun had attempted to rob a pawnshop outside Boon Lay MRT station.
The man had allegedly demanded cash and jewellery from the shop’s staff and later threatened to blow up the shop with a so-called explosive device when the staff refused to cooperate.
Police investigations showed that the device, which the man had thrown onto the shop’s counter before fleeing, contained only some electrical components. The incident led to the temporary closure of Boon Lay MRT station’s Exit C.
The suspect will be charged on Friday with attempted armed robbery and exhibiting an imitation firearm while committing a scheduled offence. Those convicted of armed robbery face a maximum jail term of seven years – with a minimum term of two years – along with no less than 12 strokes of the cane.
Those found guilty of using an imitation firearm while committing a scheduled offence face a maximum jail term of 10 years and a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
Related story:
Man allegedly threatens to blow up pawn shop outside Boon Lay MRT after failing to rob it
