$40,000 cash snatched from man in Chinatown

INDIAN national Abusali Gani had $40,000 in cash in a sling bag but he felt safe. After all, his noonday route bustled with the Saturday crowd,

But Mr Gani, in his late 30s, only made it to Upper Cross Street, near Chinatown Point. There, he was hit in the face, slashed with a knife and robbed of his black sling bag containing Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese currency.

He was delivering the money, from People's Park Centre, to his brother-in-law's money changer shop in The Arcarde at Raffles Place.

His brother-in-law, Mr Salim Mohamed Ali, 48, got a call at 2pm asking him to go to Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

Mr Gani had to undergo an operation, as the attack left him with knife wounds on his chest and left arm. A hospital spokesman said on Sunday that Mr Gani's condition was stable.

Police are looking for the suspect, a plump man with a tanned complexion, who was wearing a light blue shirt and pants.

Saturday's robbery is the second within a month in which robbers struck while the victim was delivering money. Last month, a man who was said to be delivering $200,000 to a money changer in Woodlands was set upon by parang-wielding robbers.

HE TRIES TO DEFEND HIMSELF, BUT...

By Cara van Miriah
November 05, 2007

HE was running an errand for his brother-in-law.


Mr Gani is believed to have been attacked somewhere along this road in front of Chinatown Point. He is slashed and staggers to an alley behind the mall.

On his way back, he was also supposed to buy lunch.

It would take Mr Abusali Gani only about 20 minutes to walk from People's Park Centre to The Arcade at Raffles Place.

The Indian national, who is in his 30s, was supposed to deliver a bag of money in various currencies worth $40,000 for his brother-in-law, to some money changers at The Arcade.

But he never made it there.

While walking along Upper Cross Road near Chinatown Point and Hong Lim Complex yesterday, MrGani was set upon, attacked and robbed - in broad daylight.

The terrifying robbery, which took place around noon, left the father of two with multiple knife cuts and slashes to his chest, arms and hands.

The robber appeared out of nowhere to hit him on the face.

Said Mr Gani in halting English: 'He took me by surprise.

'He hit me on my face and started slashing me with a knife. I struggled and tried to defend myself.

'But the bag is gone. Money all gone.'

The New Paper on Sunday understands that the bag contained Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese currencies.

Leaving a trail of blood, a dazed Mr Gani then staggered towards the loading bay at Hong Lim Complex to look for help.

He ended up sitting on a staircase near the hawker centre at Hong Lim Complex.

A police spokesman said the police received a call around 1pm yesterday, informing them about a robbery at a shopping complex on Upper Cross Street.

'The victim was sent to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). He was conscious but he had wounds on his left arm and chest.


Mr Gani stumbles to this staircase between Chinatown Point and Hong Lim Complex where he sits in a pool of blood. Shopkeepers and passers-by rush to his aid.

'A black sling bag containing $40,000 in various currencies was stolen from the victim,' the spokesman added.

STUNS PASSERS-BY
Eye-witnesses who saw MrGani at the hawker centre said they were shocked at the sight of the bleeding man.

One of them was Mr Titus Kong, 36, a civil servant, who was having lunch around 1pm, on the second floor of the hawker centre, with his two children.

He heard a commotion. When he looked downstairs, he saw a lot of people crowding around a man.

He recalled: 'I saw him sitting near the hawker centre with blood stains on his pants. He was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall.

'The police were there and the crowd was just standing around staring at him.

'When I left the hawker centre at 1.45pm, the victim wasn't there any more.'

Mr Elangovan, a securityman at Chinatown Point, added: 'My colleague saw him resting near the staircase around 12.30pm.

'He was drenched in blood.'

WAITING AT SHOP
Mr Gani's brother-in-law, Mr Salim Mohamed Ali, 48, who has a money changing shop at People's Park Centre, told The New Paper on Sunday that Mr Gani had left his shop around noon with the bag of money.

At the time, Mr Salim was at his shop, which is located on the first level of People's Park Centre.

He said: 'My brother-in-law was supposed to buy my lunch and deliver the bag of money for some money changers at The Arcade.

'But at 2pm, I got a call telling me to make my way to SGH as he had been hospitalised.'

He visited his brother-in-law around 6pm yesterday at the hospital.

'I don't really know what happened to him, just that he had been robbed of the money.'

Mr Gani has been in Singapore for 11/2 months. He has been staying at Mr Salim's house at Cantonment Close.

It is not known if it's his first visit to Singapore. He is here to visit his relatives, said Mr Salim.

Mr Gani was admitted to the Immediate Care Area of SGH and had to undergo an operation on his left arm yesterday.

He suffered wounds on both arms, palms and left leg.

The suspect is still at large.

A police spokesman said: 'The suspect is a man with dark complexion and he is plump.

He was last seen wearing a light blue shirt and pants.'

The police are investigating.

...


MONEY CHANGERS TARGETTED

Woodlands
Malaysian man in his 40s on way to money changer is robbed of $200,000 in Woodlands Centre on 9 Oct.

Three robbers with parangs and metal pole attack him.

Trio snatch money in black plastic bag, get into a car and drive off.

...

Two men are taking about $400,000 from money changer at Woodlands Centre when they are set upon by three men on 15 Aug.

One is armed with a knife.

Robbers flee when owner of money changer shop yells 'Robbery!'

...

Rochor
Travel agency employee on his way to deposit $125,000 in a bank robbed by three men at Rochor on 8 Sep.

Two men held on to his arms while the third grabbed laptop bag with money.

Victim of $40k heist discharged

WITH his left arm in a cast and his left shoulder bandaged, Mr Abusali Gani was discharged from the Singapore General Hospital yesterday afternoon.


HIT AND SLASHED: Not only did the knife-weilding robber make off with Mr Abusali Gani's bag containing $40,000 worth of Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese currencies, he also slashed Mr Gani and hit him in the face, Mr Gani was discharged from SGH yesterday, with his arm in a cast. -- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG

Mr Gani, who is in his late 30s, was carrying a black sling bag containing $40,000 in foreign currencies on Saturday afternoon when he was robbed.

He was taking the cash to his brother-in-law's money-changer shop in People's Park Centre when he was set upon by a knife-wielding robber near the Chinatown Point shopping complex.

He was hit in the face and slashed with the knife, and his bag containing Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese currencies was taken.

His brother-in-law, Mr Salim Mohamed Ali, 48, who was at the hospital yesterday, said Mr Gani had attended a physiotherapy session yesterday afternoon and was feeling all right.

Both men declined to comment further. Mr Salim's shop has been closed since the incident.

Police are on the lookout for the plump and tanned suspect. He was last seen wearing a light blue shirt and trousers.