Yesterday’s Standard Chartered bank robbery caused quite the commotion — mostly because there was hardly any information to go by, and such heists are rare in Singapore, to say the least.
The last major case took place over a decade ago, on December 10 in 2004, when a man in a surgical mask, sunglasses and hooded raincoat walked into a POSB branch at Block 501, West Coast Drive, and exited with $37,000. Armed with a fruit knife, he barred the door handles with a wooden plank, snatched a woman as hostage and yelled at employees to hand over the cash. Unfortunately, no security guard was present. Once the money was in his hands, he ran out and locked everyone in by using the plank to jam the door.
The culprit is still at large.
Since then, there have been smaller incidents, like in 2008, when a man dressed in women’s clothes attempted (and failed) to rob a UOB branch at City Plaza. He pretended to be in possession of a bomb, but a fearless security guard jumped him and pinned him to the ground.
The recent Standard Chartered case is the fifth attempted robbery reported in the past 12 years, according to TODAY. More details have emerged, including how the Caucasian suspect walked into the Holland Village branch at 11.25am supposedly armed with a mere piece of paper stating his demands. The teller complied, and he left with $30,000 in cash. Everything was over in minutes — no one was injured, no weapon was spotted on him, and no security guard was present.
The bank was put on lockdown for the day, and officers in bulletproof vests and riot shields combed the area to hunt down the suspect, who has been described as Australian, wearing a grey hoodie and mustard trousers. He is still on the run.
