'I got gun in my pocket': Aetos officer arrested after robbing Jurong shop of over $24,000

An auxiliary police officer was arrested after robbing a shop in Jurong East with a gun on Monday (April 12).

The suspect entered the shop located along Jurong Gateway Road and showed a staff member a note that read: “This is a robbery, don’t shout. I got gun in my pocket. Put all the money in the bag.”

After obtaining more than $24,000 in cash from the staff member, the 38-year-old man fled the scene.

He was arrested five hours later.

In a media briefing today (April 14), the police said that they were alerted to the incident at 3.55pm.

The suspect was identified as an on-duty auxiliary police officer from Aetos after the police reviewed the shop’s closed-circuit televisions and police cameras.

He reported to work at Aetos’ headquarters and drawn his gun before his deployment.

The man then changed out of his Aetos’ uniform, left the headquarters with the firearm without authorisation and allegedly carried out the robbery.

He then returned to Aetos’ headquarters to change back into his uniform and to take the company van to his deployment location.

During the robbery, the man did not reveal the firearm he was allegedly carrying to the staff, the police said.

He is believed to have acted alone, however, the police found that the suspect had deposited a portion of the stolen money into the bank account of his friend, a 34-year-old woman.

He also transferred money to a few bank accounts to repay debts to unlicensed moneylenders.

The woman, who also allegedly facilitated the transfer of the stolen money, was arrested for dishonestly receiving stolen property.

Eight other people aged between 16 and 48 were also arrested for the same offence in connection to this incident. 

About $17,500 of the stolen money has been recovered by the police, and efforts are ongoing to recover the remaining sum.

The man and the woman will be charged in court today. 

If found guilty of unlawful possession of arms or ammunition in the commission of a scheduled offence, the man could face life imprisonment and up to six strokes of the cane.

If convicted of dishonestly receiving stolen property, the woman could be jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.

Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police How Kwang Hwee said: “The man involved in the armed robbery abused the firearm entrusted to him to carry out his duties."

"We managed to do so without harm being caused to the public, given the risk that the robber was allegedly carrying a firearm."

"The police will spare no effort to ensure that such criminals who endanger the public’s safety are dealt with firmly and severely in accordance with the law.”

Police investigations are ongoing.

xavierpoh@asiaone.com