Delivery man lauded for helping to nab suspect
He thought cops were gangsters at first; other recipients of Public Spiritedness Award helped thwart possible scam
Riding his motorbike along Choa Chu Kang Link, Mr Faliq Shazwin Alwi saw a man being chased by two others and thought they were gang members.
He stopped to help and wanted to use his helmet to hit one of them when he saw him pin the man to the ground.
But just as he was about to do so, he realised they were plainclothes police officers, and they were arresting an Indonesian suspected of dealing in illegal cigarettes.
So, Mr Faliq, 22, helped them pin the man down.
Yesterday, Mr Faliq was one of four recipients of the Public Spiritedness Award held at the Woodlands Police Division.
Recalling the incident, the full-time delivery rider said he was riding home at about 2am on Aug 28 when he saw the chase.
He said one of the two men tripped so he tried to help the man they were chasing.
Speaking to the media, Mr Faliq said: "I felt helpless and I wanted to use my helmet against the officer before he identified himself as the police.
"I was hesitant to believe the officer at first, but I eventually switched sides and helped the officer detain him."
The suspect, who could speak only basic English, could not answer the officer's questions until Mr Faliq translated it into Bahasa Indonesia for him.
The suspect was arrested for an offence under the Immigration Act and possession of duty-unpaid cigarettes.
Two other recipients of the award were Ms Cheo Yi Love, 25 and Mr Roy Cheong, 46.
SUSPICIOUS
Ms Cheo, a service executive at the United Overseas Bank's Woodlands branch, got suspicious when she realised her customer, a 61-year-old woman, wanted to cash out $12,500 only to cash it back into a third party account. It was Ms Cheo's first month on the job.
She said: "She (the victim) kept rushing the procedure, wanting to get it done as soon as possible. She also looked very nervous."
Mr Cheong, the branch's deputy manager, realised it might be a scam and helped the victim lodge a police report.
The woman had befriended a man online who asked for $3,500 to receive a parcel. He then asked for another $12,500 to get a clearance certificate for the parcel.
Another Public Spiritedness Award ceremony was held at the Clementi Police Division yesterday. Two members of the public were honoured for helping to detain a shoplifter and for detaining a man who had stolen something placed outside his neighbour's unit.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Leon Chan, Commander of Woodlands Police Division said in a statement: "They (award recipients) are examples of how people keep a watchful eye out for potential victims of crime, or bravely step up to assist the police.
"We hope that their actions will serve to inspire others to keep their communities safe."
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