Armed man tries to rob Toa Payoh minimart, gets scared off by 70-year-old cashier

A man's attempt to rob a minimart was foiled after an elderly employee alone on duty frightened him off.

The incident occurred at 1.21am last Saturday (July 15), in a minimart located at Blk 126 Toa Payoh Lorong 1, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The minimart is open around the clock and usually schedules one employee — a 70-year-old woman — to work the night shift, the store's supervisor told the Chinese daily.

CCTV footage of the incident showed a masked man, dressed in black from head to toe, heading for the cashier counter after entering the minimart.

"The man walked in and pulled at her while brandishing a knife," the supervisor said.

The elderly woman screamed for help repeatedly, and the man fled the scene empty-handed.

She was unharmed and the minimart did not suffer any losses, the supervisor added.

The police said on Monday that they were alerted to the incident at the abovementioned location later that morning.

A 38-year-old man was arrested within five hours of the report for suspected involvement in a case of attempted robbery.

A black long-sleeved dress, headscarves and arm sleeves were seized from the suspect.

The man was charged in court on Monday for the offence of attempted robbery. The case has been adjourned to July 24.

If convicted, he faces a jail term of between two to seven years, and at least six strokes of the cane.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com