SINGAPORE - Police are investigating a man who was arrested for allegedly stealing and seen in a video begging the person who caught him for leniency.

Police said on Thursday (Oct 31) that they were alerted to a theft at Block 338 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 at 1.34pm on Sunday. The 39-year-old suspect was later arrested by police.

In a seven-minute video posted on the All Singapore Stuff Facebook page, the suspect is seen at a ground floor lift lobby, kneeling on one leg and begging an older man, who appears to be the person who caught him. At one point, the suspect kowtows.

The captor tells him in Hokkien: "I gave you a chance earlier. You didn't take it."

The suspect then tries to run away but gets pinned down to the floor by the other man. He tries to apologise to his captor but to no avail.

At some point, the suspect tries to escape again and gets pinned against a lift door by the captor, who says he is in his 50s, with the help of another man.

Eventually, a police officer arrives and the 39-year-old is arrested.

It is unclear what the man stole but his captor tells the police officer in the clip it was a cellphone, before correcting himself and saying it was an earphone.

Earlier on Oct 3, a taxi driver was photographed begging for leniency in front of National Environment Agency officers who caught him smoking in his cab.

The cabby was fined $200 on the spot.