S'pore man, 72, pickpocketed on bus in JB
A 72-year-old man's day trip from Singapore to Johor Bahru took an unfortunate turn when he discovered $450 and a credit card missing from his wallet after a bus ride.
The man, identified as Mr Chen, told Shin Min Daily News that the theft happened on Dec 19 during a visit to KSL City Mall in JB with a friend.
After taking a bus to City Square, Mr Chen realised upon returning to Singapore that $450 and his credit card were gone from his wallet, though the wallet itself remained. The thief also charged $800 to the stolen card without his knowledge.
Strangely, RM200 ($60.53) was left in the wallet. This led Mr Chen to believe the thief intentionally left it to avoid suspicion.
Mr Chen suspects the theft occurred on bus service F100 from KSL City Mall to City Square around 1pm. The bus was crowded, and he and his friend were separated.
He sat in the second-to-last row next to a middle-aged man who fidgeted frequently, though Mr Chen didn't think much of it at the time.
“The man kept moving about in his seat, but I didn't pay much attention to him. I also didn't feel him touch me, and he got off the bus before me,” Mr Chen explained.
Unaware of the theft, Mr Chen continued his day, even noting the RM200 in his wallet upon arriving at City Square.
Later that evening, back in Singapore, Mr Chen opened his wallet to calculate his expenses and was shocked to discover the missing $450 and credit card.
He immediately contacted his bank and learned $800 had already been charged to the card.
Mr Chen speculated the thief was selective to avoid immediate detection.
"The thief might have been worried I would cancel the card if my wallet went missing, so they put the wallet back in my pocket, leaving me with the Malaysian currency to trick me,” he said.
“But I still don't understand how they managed to steal the money without anyone noticing."
The bank cancelled the card and launched an investigation, which Mr Chen expects will take about three weeks.
He is unsure if he'll recover the stolen amount and has decided against filing a police report in Malaysia, believing the process too complicated.
Mr Chen hopes his experience serves as a warning, especially to Singaporeans, to be vigilant when visiting JB.
“The last time I visited JB was several years ago. This time, I went there on a whim with my friend. I never expected something like this to happen,” he said.
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