Man, 77, charged with Gangsa Road snatch theft

An elderly man was charged on Tuesday with snatching a woman's gold necklace at an HDB void deck in Bukit Panjang.

Woon Yin Meng, 77, allegedly used criminal force to snatch the item away from 77-year-old Tang Sweet Kun's neck at Gangsa Road on Sunday.

The victim was walking at the void deck of Block 166 when Woon allegedly snatched away the gold necklace from behind and fled. Her shouts for help alerted two members of the public who managed to note the suspect's description and the direction which he fled to.

Woon, who was arrested about 4 1/2 hours later, was remanded for psychiatric evaluation until May 7. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to seven years. No caning will be imposed as he is above 50 years of age.

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