Family who found backpack used by alleged pawnshop robber suspected it could have been used in a crime

SINGAPORE – Every night, 50-year-old Zahare Seman walks out of his five-room flat at Block 661B Jurong West to dispose trash at the rubbish chute. But last Saturday evening on July 28, at about 8.50pm, he was shocked to find a backpack behind his flower pot.

That backpack turned out to be the one used by 29-year-old Bangladeshi national Sheikh Md Razan, a former construction worker accused of attempted robbery at a Boon Lay pawnshop earlier that day.

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Speaking to TODAY on Friday, Mr Zahare, who has lived in the flat for 18 years, said: “I thought it belonged to either one of my two sons, but they said it didn't belong to them.”

Mr Zahare's block is just a 10-minute walk from the pawnshop, and on the day of the incident, he and his family were out visiting relatives. They were not aware of the botched robbery, and neither did they notice the bag when they returned home at about 8.20pm, said Mr Zahare, who works as an assistant foreman.

When he returned to his flat, he told his eldest son, 21-year-old Amir Hamizan Zahare, about what he found. Mr Amir went to take a look and immediately became suspicious – why would someone hide a bag behind a flower pot, he asked himself.

Curious, he unzipped the bag slightly and saw some clothes and a pair of black shoes. Though Amir – who is currently serving his national service – did not see the pink turban used by Sheikh to disguise himself, he saw a silver bangle similar to the ones commonly used by Sikhs.

Mr Amir’s suspicions were aroused and he decided to call the police. “It looked like someone was trying to run away. I told my father what if someone had committed a theft or murder,” he said.

Three officers came to their home to inspect the bag. When the officers saw the contents of the bag, one of them appeared shocked, Mr Amir recounted.

Each piece of clothing was then taken out of the bag and laid on the floor along the corridor outside the family’s flat. But what startled Mr Amir and his family even more was a chopper that was pulled out of the bag.

By close to 10pm, there were about 10 officers milling about outside the corridor, some of whom were from the Criminal Investigation Department. The family was asked to stay in their flat so that officers could conduct investigations.

The family only found out later that a botched robbery had taken place earlier that day, with the accused wearing a similar set of clothes.

According to Mr Amri, the officers only left at 1am the next morning.

The alleged robber Sheikh was charged in court on Friday (Aug 3) with attempted armed robbery and exhibiting an imitation firearm. He allegedly attempted to rob the pawnshop, ValueMax, located outside Boon Lay MRT Station last Saturday afternoon.

Wielding a knife and what was believed to be a replica gun, he demanded that employees hand over cash and jewellery. The employees refused his demand.

At a press conference on Thursday, the police only said that a resident had provided “valuable lead” by alerting the police about the bag, but declined to reveal more.

Asked about how he felt about his contribution in the investigations, Mr Amir simply said: “I was just doing my part. I don’t think I’m a hero whatsoever. I think the pawnshop employees deserve much more praise, because they didn’t back down even when threatened.”

In his army camp, servicemen are repeatedly told that damage can be done in Singapore through acts of terror, and that message has seeped into his mind, said Mr Amir, who added that he has been more vigilant ever since.

“If you find or see something suspicious, you can’t just ignore it. You might not be affected, but it could have an impact on others,” he noted.