Three teenagers charged over alleged attempts to rob Carousell sellers of luxury watches
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SINGAPORE - Three teenagers were charged in court on May 30 over alleged attempts to rob sellers on online marketplace Carousell of luxury watches.
The three young men, aged between 18 and 19, are accused of being involved in the incidents on May 27 and 28.
A fourth youth is under investigation for being part of a criminal conspiracy to commit robbery.
On May 28, Joshua Niteesh Mahesan, 18, and Sim De Ren, 19, had arranged to meet a seller they found on Carousell, purportedly to buy from him a luxury watch he had listed for sale – a green and gold Rolex Daytona dubbed “John Mayer”, which is valued at around $83,000.
At their meet-up point in Clementi Avenue 3, the seller encountered the two teenagers, one of whom was alleged to be armed with a knife with a 21cm blade.
He managed to escape after one of the youths allegedly tried to cover his head with a plastic bag.
The two were arrested on the same day after the seller made a police report. They each face one charge of armed robbery.
During investigations, the police found that the pair had attempted a similar robbery on May 27 with another two teenagers.
In the earlier incident, Joshua Niteesh and Sim, along with Darren Chai Jia Le, allegedly targeted a different seller who listed the same Rolex Daytona model for sale on Carousell, and met him at the same place in Clementi Avenue 3.
The police said the seller on May 27 grew suspicious of the meeting and left before the four youths could rob him.
The other two teenagers were arrested on May 28 after investigation officers established their identities.
Chai has been charged with attempted robbery, while the other remains under investigation.
Joshua Niteesh, Sim and Chai will return to court on June 27.
Those found guilty of attempted armed robbery can be jailed for up to seven years, and given at least 12 strokes of the cane.
Those found guilty of attempted robbery can be jailed for up to seven years and given at least six strokes of the cane.
In a statement released on May 29, the police said: “Members of the public who encounter such cases are advised to remain calm, take note of the physical appearance and distinctive features of the perpetrator, and call for the police as soon as possible.”
