'Ran till we were out of breath': 3 employees give chase after man snatches iPhone 17 Pro Max from Hougang shop“我们跑到气喘吁吁”：男子在后港一家商店抢走一部iPhone 17 Pro Max后，三名员工奋力追赶。
A man allegedly posed as a buyer of an iPhone 17 Pro Max and stole the device the moment a mobile phone store employee turned away from the counter.Despite a 15-minute-long chase involving three employees, the alleged thief ultimately escaped with the phone, priced at nearly $2,000.The incident occurred at Block 811 Hougang Central at about 1pm on Tuesday (Oct...
A man allegedly posed as a buyer of an iPhone 17 Pro Max and stole the device the moment a mobile phone store employee turned away from the counter.
Despite a 15-minute-long chase involving three employees, the alleged thief ultimately escaped with the phone, priced at nearly $2,000.
The incident occurred at Block 811 Hougang Central at about 1pm on Tuesday (Oct 20), reported Shin Min Daily News.
Store employee Jiang Jinqi (transliteration), told the Chinese publication that he served the customer, who wore a motorcycle helmet and appeared to be in his 20s, saying that the customer wanted to see the iPhone 17 Pro Max 512GB model in Cosmic Orange.
"He inspected it and asked for the price. When I turned around to retrieve an item, he snatched the phone and left," Jiang, 34, recounted.
Together with his colleague Cai Jinhong (transliteration) and an employee from another shop, they gave chase.
Cai revealed to Shin Min that he caught up with the alleged thief but could not detain him.
"The man broke free (from my grasp) and I slipped, causing me to strain my back," he explained.
The trio reportedly searched nearby bus stops, the MRT station and toilets of the mall, but could not find him again.
"The three of us ran around for 15 minutes, till we were out of breath," Jiang said, adding that it is unlikely that the phone will be recovered.
The police confirmed to Shin Min that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.
lim.kewei@asiaone.com
据称，一名男子假扮成 iPhone 17 Pro Max 的买家，趁手机店员工转身离开柜台的瞬间，偷走了这部手机。
尽管三名员工参与了长达 15 分钟的追逐，但涉嫌窃贼最终还是带着价值近 2000 美元的手机逃脱了。
据《新明日报》报道，事件发生在周二（10月20日）下午1点左右，地点位于后港中心第811座组屋。
店员姜金奇（音译）告诉中国媒体，他接待了一位戴着摩托车头盔、看起来二十多岁的顾客，这位顾客想看看星空橙色的 iPhone 17 Pro Max 512GB 型号。
“他检查了一下，然后问了价格。当我转身去拿东西时，他一把抢过手机就走了，”34岁的江女士回忆道。
他和同事蔡金红以及另一家店的一名员工一起追了上去。
蔡先生向《新明日报》透露，他抓住了涉嫌盗窃的嫌疑人，但未能将其拘留。
“那人挣脱了我的控制，我滑倒了，导致我扭伤了背，”他解释说。
据报道，三人随后搜寻了附近的公交车站、地铁站和商场的洗手间，但仍然没有找到他。
“我们三个跑了15分钟，直到气喘吁吁，”江说，并补充说手机不太可能找回。
警方向《新明日报》证实，他们已接到报案，目前正在进行调查。
lim.kewei@asiaone.com