Man who threatened to blow up pawnshop at Boon Lay MRT Station after failed robbery still at large

SINGAPORE — With a knife and gun believed to be a replica, a man ordered staff at the ValueMax pawnshop outside Boon Lay MRT Station to hand over cash and jewellery on Saturday (July 28), threatening to blow up the store when they refused. 

The botched robbery attempt closed off a section fronting the train station for more than five hours, and police are still searching for the man. 

Earlier in the day, the police said in a Facebook post at about 5.30pm that they were dealing with “an incident” at Boon Lay MRT Station and one of the exits was shut to facilitate investigations. But in an update shortly after 6pm, the police said they conducted checks on a “suspicious object” and found nothing incriminating, and the affected exit had reopened. MRT operations were unaffected.

The police said on Saturday night that the man — who turned up at the pawnshop at about 4.30pm and was last seen wearing a pink turban, blue jacket and long brown trousers — allegedly threatened to blow up the pawnshop with what he claimed was an “explosive device” after the employees refused his demands. 

He then flung the object on the pawnshop’s counter and fled without making off with any item. 

The shop’s staff immediately threw the object out of the shop and called the police. No one was injured. 

The police later established that the object contained only “some electrical components”, and have classified the case under Section 4(A) of the Arms Offences Act. 

Anyone found guilty of using — or attempting to use — arms while committing or trying to commit an offence could face the death penalty if convicted, whether he intended to cause physical injury to persons or property.

When TODAY arrived at the scene about 7.30pm, a swell of about 80 curious onlookers had gathered around the cordoned area in front of the pawnshop, with the crowd building as the night wore on. 

Inside the pawnshop was a hive of activity, with at least 10 people — including police officers.

Businesses nearby told TODAY they were unaware of what had happened. Staff in nearby shops were instructed to leave their shops at about 5pm as the police carried out investigations. Staff members at food outlets Juewei and Cake History, pawnshop Maxi-Cash as well as eyewear shop Eyecare Studio Optometrist, said they were allowed to return only up to an hour later, but did not know what had happened. 

Employees of units closer to the pawnshop — such as soybean store Mr Bean and bistro Two Wheels Good — were only allowed to return much later, between 7.50pm and 8.30pm. 

A crew member at Mr Bean, which is next to ValueMax, said police officers had asked them if they heard a commotion from the pawnshop earlier in the day. They neither heard nor saw anything amiss, said the crew member, who did not want to be named.

Ms Jean Lee, who manages Two Wheels Good, said her bistro had handed over its closed-circuit television footage to the police. The eatery closed its doors for the day about 5pm. 

“They told us we can’t open... Of course, we are very upset. It has affected our business,” said Ms Lee, adding that the eatery would have otherwise stayed open till 11pm.

Staff members who emerged from ValueMax between 9pm and 10pm — when the police cordon tapes came down — declined to speak to reporters.

TODAY has reached out to ValueMax for comments. 

The police are appealing for information to aid in its investigations, and have asked anyone with details to call the police hotline on 1800 255 0000 or visit www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.