Accused taken back to scene of Ubi robbery
Ubi Western Union armed robbery
Hashim Hamzah, the 58-year-old man charged with the armed robbery of a Western Union branch, was taken back to the crime scene in Ubi Avenue 1 yesterday.
Dressed in a white polo shirt and dark bermudas, and with restraints on his wrists and ankles, Hashim kept his head bowed as he alighted from a police van around 10am.
He was taken into the Western Union outlet by officers and led behind the staff counter, where he was questioned briefly.
Police officers then led him to an area near the carpark behind Block 301, where he is believed to have dropped some of the money he escaped with.
They also took him through neighbouring blocks to a nearby carpark, where he is thought to have left his bicycle, before taking him to an eatery near the Western Union branch. This is believed to be where he observed staff from the branch before the incident.
Hashim is accused of robbing the outlet while armed with a knife. He allegedly ordered the staff member not to shout and demanded money. He is said to have taken $4,000 in cash from the remittance outlet.
He also dropped some money near the carpark behind the branch while fleeing. The money was later recovered by Ms Hankum Porntip, 28, the Western Union employee who was alone when the incident happened.
PLASTIC BAG
He eventually fled on a bicycle with just $1,071 in a plastic bag.
Hashim was arrested in Pasir Ris Drive 6 last week after a three-day manhunt, during which the police trawled through over 1,000 hours of closed-circuit television footage.
He was found wearing the dark blue trousers he had allegedly committed the crime in. The police also recovered four 4-D tickets, black shoes and a green face mask. Hashim subsequently led the police to a red bicycle in Bedok.
If convicted of armed robbery, Hashim could be jailed for up to 10 years. The case was one of two armed robberieslast week.
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