A 31-year-old man was arrested for theft at Raffles Place MRT station on Wednesday afternoon, after being detained by two passers-by.

A 45-year-old woman was travelling down an escalator leading to the train station when a man tried to block her way by picking up some coins in front of her. She suspected something was amiss and checked her bag which was slung behind her. She found that an envelope containing $2,500 in cash was missing. The man then got up and ran off.

The victim shouted for help and two passers-by, 29-year-old Peng Yi and 24-year-old Wang Ligui, along with the help of other people, stopped the man who was trying to escape.

The victim found her missing envelope on the ground next to the suspect. The money inside was intact. Police then arrived and arrested the man.

Through their investigations, they found that the man had a female accomplice. An operation was mounted and the 36-year-old woman was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint later that night at 9.30pm while attempting to leave the country.

They will be charged in court on Friday. If convicted, they will be imprisoned for three years and may face a fine.

Commander of Central Police Division, deputy assistant commissioner of police Daniel Tan, commended Mr Peng, Mr Wang, and the other passers-by for their public-spiritedness. He also advised the public to be vigilant when carrying large amounts of cash, especially in crowded areas.