ITE student's brave act leads to arrest of alleged stalker
Nurersyad Hyqel was shocked to see a man committing an obscene act and filming a woman on bus No. 807.
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central student was seated two seats away from the man on his way to school at around 7am on Feb 5.
Hyqel, 18, told The New Paper that upon realising the man intended to stalk the woman after she alighted from the bus, he decided to follow them.
The man continued to film the woman as she walked from the bus stop to Khatib MRT station.
It was only at the train platform that Hyqel knew he had to act quickly.
The first-year architecture student told the woman, healthcare worker Nur Fasleenah Hamzah, that the man had been filming her.
Ms Fasleenah, 32, immediately demanded to see the man's phone, which he quickly put away.
She told TNP: "I asked him to unlock the phone. The moment he unlocked it, I quickly snatched it from him."
She said she saw many videos of other women the man had filmed, including recordings of herself on the way to the MRT station.
At that moment, she told Hyqel, who was next to her, to notify the MRT security personnel, who detained the man.
OBSCENE FILM
In a statement, the police said they were alerted to a case of public nuisance and possession of obscene film at 7.23am. The police have since arrested the 46-year-old man and investigations are ongoing.
For his brave act, Hyqel received the ITE College Central Student Commendation Award in school yesterday.
Hyqel said he was not afraid at any time as he knew it was the right thing to do.
"If you see something wrong, you have to speak up and not think it is none of your business," he said.
ITE College Central Principal Suresh Natarajan said: "We are proud and heartened to see Hyqel being recognised for his public-spiritedness and exemplary action.
"It is our job to help them see themselves as change agents who make a positive impact on society."
Ms Fasleenah said: "Not everyone will be so aware of their surroundings, especially in a rush. He took the initiative to follow the man and had the courage to tell me. His parents have raised a good kid."
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