Authorities investigating incidents involving a man allegedly approaching children in the area.
Residents of Toh Yi estate have been warned to remain vigilant after reports of a bespectacled man in his 30s allegedly stalking children. The man was first noticed in July when he approached children to ask for their phone numbers. The Toh Yi Residents’ Network issued an advisory, informing locals about the man’s suspicious behavior, including following a young girl and her helper to their Housing Board block.
Mr. Derrick Tan, who chairs the network, mentioned that the man had also reportedly asked a group of boys to buy things for him and invited them to his home. These incidents prompted multiple alerts within local messaging platforms, including a Telegram group, which was shared with concerned parents, especially those with younger children.
In addition to the estate incidents, a separate occurrence on November 5 at Thomson Plaza has raised further concern. A video, shared widely on WhatsApp, shows a father confronting a man who allegedly approached his nine-year-old daughter while she was alone at a claw machine. The father claims the man pressured his daughter into sharing her phone number. In the video, the man, identified as “John,” denies any ill intentions, asserting that he simply wanted to make friends, but the confrontation led him to delete the girl’s number from his phone.
Parents in the area are now questioning whether the man involved in the Thomson Plaza incident is the same individual seen in Toh Yi. According to the father of the girl, there were concerning messages on the man’s phone that suggested he had attempted to engage with other young girls.
A message purportedly from the man’s mother, shared in the WhatsApp group, explained that he has autism and ADHD, which contribute to his behavior. She apologized for the distress caused and asked for time to manage his issues.
The police have confirmed that a report has been made and are currently investigating the 30-year-old man in relation to the Thomson Plaza incident. They have not yet commented on whether the two incidents are linked.
