Police arrest 4 teens for snatch theft

Police have arrested four youths, aged 14 to 16, for suspected involvement in several cases of snatch theft.

The police said that a suspect snatched the mobile phone of a 50-year-old man in Sago Street on July 30 and fled.

Officers from the Central Police Division managed to establish the identity of one suspect through on-scene enquiries and closed-circuit television footage, the police said in a statement today.

The police mounted an ambush on Aug 4 at about 4.30pm, and arrested the first suspect, 15, in Jurong West Street 42.

The other three suspects were arrested later that day, in Jurong West and Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3.

One of the suspects was also found to be in possession of 12 automated teller machine cards and two Singapore identity card, believed to be stolen from other victims.

The four will be charged in court tomorrow. The charge carries a maximum punishment of seven years' imprisonment and caning, the police said.

sinsh@sph.com.sg