A 33-year-old man has found himself in a financial fiasco after attempting to trade crypto tokens for cold, hard cash. Little did he know, his rendezvous with a mysterious Telegram stranger would soon involve a teenage accomplice, a daring chase, and a dropped kitchen knife.
On Saturday, the victim, a 33-year-old man with a penchant for crypto dealings, accepted an offer that seemed too good to be true. A stranger on Telegram proposed a trade of crypto tokens for cash. Eager for a deal, the victim agreed and found himself in Punggol Field with a whopping S$81,000 in his hands.
However, this seemingly straightforward exchange took a sharp turn when a 16-year-old teenager, the supposed middleman, decided he preferred the cash without parting with the tokens. In a daring move, the teen allegedly snatched the bag containing the cash and made a run for it.
Undeterred, the victim gave chase. The teen, however, wasn’t ready to surrender without a fight. He brandished a kitchen knife, adding a cinematic flair to this unexpected Saturday showdown. However, the knife proved to be too much to handle, slipping from the teenager’s grasp.
Enter two men and one woman, who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. With their help, the teenager was detained and promptly handed over to the police. The money was fully recovered, making this a failed caper for the teenage bandit.
The saga didn’t end there. Through ground inquiries and the ever-watchful eye of police cameras, the authorities uncovered the identities of two more individuals believed to be involved in the conspiracy. A 33-year-old man was nabbed near Circuit Road, while a 27-year-old man was apprehended along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 9, completing the trio of suspects.
The 33-year-old man and the 16-year-old whirlwind of trouble are set to face charges in court today for their roles in the conspiracy to commit robbery. Meanwhile, investigations into the 27-year-old man’s involvement are ongoing.
In light of this peculiar crypto caper, the police issued a piece of advice to the public:
“Members of the public are advised not to carry large amounts of cash with them in public. When confronted in a robbery, members of the public should remain calm, take note of the physical appearance and distinctive features of the perpetrator, and call for the police as soon as possible.”
So, the next time you think about trading crypto for cash with strangers on Telegram, maybe consider using a bit of extra caution and leave the kitchen knives at home. It seems like even the world of cryptocurrency isn’t immune to a touch of the dramatic.
