SINGAPORE — A fruit stall in Hillview is appealing for a man to come forward after CCTV footage allegedly showed him taking four packets of Musang King durian without paying on two separate occasions.
Pawfect Fruit, located along Hillview, shared footage of the incidents online after staff discovered that packets of durian were missing from its shelves. The shop said it is investigating whether the man may have taken other items on previous occasions.
Man allegedly took durian on two occasions
The first incident reportedly took place on Oct. 2 at around 1.40pm.
CCTV footage showed a man believed to be between 60 and 70 years old inside the fruit shop. He was wearing an orange top and blue pants and appeared to be pulling a small white suitcase.
According to the footage shared by the shop, the man allegedly picked up two packets of Musang King durian, placed them into a bag and left the premises without making payment.
A second CCTV recording, dated Sept. 3 at around 4.30pm, allegedly showed the same man returning to the shop.
On that occasion, he was wearing a dark-coloured shirt with blue pants and was again seen with a white suitcase.
The footage appeared to show him looking around before taking another two packets of Musang King durian. He then allegedly walked outside and placed the durians into his suitcase.
Four packets worth S$84
Pawfect Fruit manager Chen, 36, told Shin Min Daily News that staff initially discovered that two packets of durian were missing from the shelves.
After reviewing the shop’s CCTV recordings, they allegedly found footage showing the man taking the fruit.
Chen said the man had allegedly taken a total of four packets of Musang King, with the four packets valued at S$84.
However, the shop does not yet know whether the man may have taken other products during previous visits.
“We don’t know if he had taken anything else previously,” Chen said, adding that the shop is conducting a more thorough investigation.
The allegations have not been tested in court, and the man’s identity has not been publicly established.
Shop asks man to come forward
Pawfect Fruit appealed to the man in its social-media post to contact the business.
The shop said it was giving him an opportunity to come forward before taking the matter to the police. It set a deadline of 5pm on Sunday for him to make contact, after which it said it would file a police report.
The business also urged customers to respect its operations, noting that it runs with the aim of reducing food waste and encouraging people to eat more fruit.
It asked members of the public to help spread awareness of the incident to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
CCTV footage prompts online attention
The footage has since attracted attention online, with the shop using the recordings to appeal for information about the man’s identity.
The videos show the man’s movements inside the shop, including his apparent decision to look around before taking the durians.
The white suitcase seen in both recordings could potentially help distinguish the man if he returns to the area, although there has been no confirmation of his identity.
AsiaOne has contacted Pawfect Fruit for more information.
Another Singapore durian stall recently reported alleged theft
The incident comes shortly after another durian business in Singapore shared CCTV footage of an alleged theft.
In September, Yishun durian stall Durian Lah appealed to a man who was allegedly caught taking a staff member’s mobile phone from a table.
The stall said the incident occurred on Sept. 20 at around 6.13pm and that it subsequently made a police report. Police confirmed that a report had been lodged and that investigations were ongoing.
While the two incidents are unrelated, both businesses turned to CCTV footage and social media after items allegedly went missing.
Investigation could determine whether more items were taken
For Pawfect Fruit, the four packets of Musang King may not necessarily represent the full extent of the alleged losses.
The shop said it is reviewing its records and CCTV footage to determine whether the same man may have visited on other occasions or whether other items are missing.
Until that review is completed, there is no confirmation that the man took anything beyond the four packets identified by the shop.
The business is now waiting to see whether the man shown in the footage will contact them before the matter is referred to the police.
For now, the CCTV recordings have left Pawfect Fruit with one unanswered question: who is the man seen walking out with four packets of Musang King durian — and were those the only items he allegedly took?
