A 58-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for his suspected involvement in at least five cheating cases where victims had handed over sums of money as deposits for electrical devices and appliances which they never received.

In a statement, the police said that between Jan 7 and Feb 17 this year, four similar reports were made involving victims who had each handed over between $300 and $900 to an unknown man. After handing over the money, the victims were told to wait outside a department store while the suspect went to collect the ordered items. But each time, the suspect did not return and the victims eventually realised they had been cheated after checking with the department store.

In an operation mounted on Saturday, police officers spotted the suspect outside a department store along Serangoon Road at about 11am. He was detained as he alighted from a taxi. When interviewed, a 54-year-old male passenger who remained on board the taxi, revealed that he was waiting for the suspect to deliver three smartphones to him after handing him $650 for the phones.

The suspect was found with the $650 in his possession and subsequently arrested. It was also established that the suspect was not an employee of the department store.