Quote from ST Interactive ..
"Home > Singapore > Story
Sep 10, 2007
Couple robbed by parang-wielding man in Marina park
THREATENED: Mr Razif said the robber slapped his girlfriend's thigh
with the face of the 60cm blade. -- PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN
A YOUNG couple were trying to find some private time at the Marina
Promenade Park when a parang-wielding robber walked up to them and
told them to hand over their valuables.
When Mr Razif Hazmi Rahmat's girlfriend, 21, protested, the robber
slapped her thigh with the face of the 60cm blade.
Speaking to The Straits Times from his flat in Toh Guan Road, Mr
Razif, 20, a polytechnic student, said their assailant walked up to
them at about 1am on Saturday.
'He threatened to 'hammer' us if we did not comply,' he
recalled.
'He took everything - our bags, cellphones, watches and MP3 player
- and only gave back our identity cards when we asked for
them.'
The medium-built man wore a black long-sleeved shirt paired with
black trackpants.
He also wore a black cap. He looked to be in his 40s, was about
1.7m tall and spoke in English, said Mr Razif.
'But his speech was slurred, like a drug addict's, and I don't
think this was the first time he was doing this,' he added.
The long-haired robber threatened the couple before he walked off
in the direction of Beach Road.
'He said that if we shouted or screamed for help, he'd come back
and slash us,' said Mr Razif.
The couple fearfully waited until the robber had walked some
distance away before fleeing in the opposite direction - towards
Marina Square.
There, they waited for more than an hour before venturing back to
the Promenade Park, near the Kallang River, to get Mr Razif's
motorcycle.
'My girlfriend was in tears, she was so traumatised,' he
said.
'All I could think of at the time was to stay calm, and getting the
whole thing over with by giving him what he wanted, including my
ATM PIN,' said Mr Razif.
He later found that the robber had managed to withdraw the last $30
in his bank account.
But he will not step near the area again, he said. 'I think he will
strike again and I would not want to go there.'
Police are investigating and have appealed for anyone with
information to contact 1800-255-0000.
K.C. VIJAYAN "
unquote
