The armed robbery in broad daylight at a Shell petrol station on Monday (Jul 31) was the first such case in Singapore in 10 years, the police said in a press conference on Tuesday.

A 48-year-old Singaporean man was arrested after the robbery at 219 Upper Bukit Timah Road.

He had allegedly taken off with more than S$1,100 in cash after ordering an employee of the petrol station – a 22-year-old woman – at knifepoint to place money from the cash register in a plastic bag, the police said.

Another Shell employee alerted the police at around 12.50pm, after the man fled the petrol station on a scooter. A customer of the station, who tailed the suspect on the road for a short distance, also called the police.

The man was wearing a motorcycle helmet, but the Shell employee who was robbed remembered details such as the colours of his clothes, the police said.

The suspect was arrested on the same day at about 4.50pm along Jurong East Street 21.

About S$500 in cash, some bank receipts and a scooter were seized as evidence, the police said. These, together with the man’s outfit – a black T-shirt, a pair of long black pants, a beige jacket, a motorcycle helmet and a pair of sunglasses – were put on display at the press conference.

The weapon has not been recovered as the suspect dropped it during his getaway, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Gerald Lim, who is the commander of Clementi Police Division, said.

The suspect will be charged in court on Wednesday with armed robbery.

If found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail and at least 12 strokes of caning.