Remember this spicy piece of news?
Well, despite it leaving a sour taste in our mouths, it seems like the whole incident has come to a rather sweet conclusion after all.
Oh, not sure what I’m talking about? Alrighty then, time for a refresher.
Man Allegedly Stole $800 Cash from Spice Shop in Yishun & Tried to Cover the Act by Purchasing From The Same Shop
On 3 June, the store owner of a spice shop in Yishun, Jeya Spices, took to Facebook to air his grievances.
The shop owner, Mr Jeya Seelan, publicised a theft that had occurred at his store.
Just before noon, when the two store attendants present had been occupied, a man in his 20s took the opportunity to steal stacks of cash that had been kept in a plastic container, stuffing them into his bag.
But that’s not all. In a presumed attempt to avoid suspicion, the man used the stolen money to make a purchase at the shop.
Yet that didn’t work out, since the store owner caught on anyway. He managed to get CCTV footage of the theft, though only the CCTV cameras outside the shop provided a clear shot of the thief’s face.
Despite having solid evidence, the store owner called for the thief to step forward and admit his wrongdoings, since he was reluctant to file a police report. He has also called for eyewitnesses to come forward as well.
But it seems that all’s well that ends well, since the perpetrator has made himself known.
Man Who Stole $800 from Yishun Spice Shop Apologised & Transferred The Money Back
On 5 June, following the now-viral post that first made the theft publicly known, the shop owner revealed that the perpetrator had finally admitted to committing theft.
He said that the man himself, along with another friend, had visited the shop at 2:40pm on 5 June to confess his guilt.
Clad in a white shirt, the perp was clearly “in some level of discomfort” and needed his friend to keep calming him down.
The perpetrator eventually broke down, presumably weighed down by guilt, and repeatedly apologised to the shop owner. His friend then transferred the stolen $800 back to the owner, who agreed to take down the first Facebook post regarding the theft.
Magnanimously, the store owner wrote, “[The perpetrator] was, in [his] eyes, repentant and that was enough for [him].”
And so, both parties came to a compromise, and agreed that the whole issue would become a “closed matter”. No police report or further escalation of the issue will be made.
Kampung Spirit
The shop owner closed his Facebook post with this touching statement: “In my shop, there are no customers”; rather, he calls the patrons of his shop his “brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles”.
“In Jeya Spices, we treat you like guests in our own house.”
He harbours no evident anger at the perpetrator for stealing his money, and has emphasised that we need to help one another through these trying times.
“If you are having a tough time and you need groceries for free, let me know, no questions will be asked,” he wrote. “It’s okay to ask for help, it really is.”
Aw, for a man who runs a spice shop, he sure is sweet.
Indeed, it isn’t easy to forgive someone who stole from you. Admittedly, sometimes I get a bit irritated when someone forgets to return the $5 they lent from me.
But we all can learn from this heartwarming example of magnanimity and generosity, and remember that there’ll always be people to offer us a hand when we struggle.
“We are all in this together,” he concluded.
Featured Image: Facebook (Jeya Seelan)