SINGAPORE - Police arrested a 67-year-old man on Saturday (July 13) for his suspected involvement in the attempted armed robbery in a Bedok pawnshop on Friday.

The suspect is expected to be charged in court on Monday with attempted armed robbery.

Those convicted can be jailed between two and seven years and punished with a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane. But if they are aged over 50, they cannot be caned.

Officers arrested the suspect along Yishun Street 22, within 32 hours of the attempted robbery.

Commander of Bedok Police Division Julius Lim said: "The man had taken great pains to conceal his identity by covering his face with a surgical mask and changing his clothing multiple times after fleeing the scene.

"Despite that, Bedok Police Division officers demonstrated great resolve and resourcefulness, and managed to bring him to justice. This arrest also signals how Police will spare no effort to track down those who conceal their identities to commit crime."

At about 1.50pm on Friday, the suspect walked into a pawnshop at Block 213 Bedok North Street 1 and attempted to use a chopper to smash open a glass display case containing gold jewellery.

Employees said a masked man entered the shop brandishing the blade, then swung it on the glass counter.

Although the thick glass counter cracked slightly, it did not break - unlike his weapon which snapped into two pieces.

After picking the pieces up, the culprit fled without having taken anything.