PSLE: A pickpocket on the train

There was a cacophony of voices in the MRT station. It was the rush hour, the busiest time of the day. The place was so crowded that it did not have room for even just one person. It was bursting at its seams. Some commuters were reading books or newspapers, some were catching forty winks and some were just staring into space, eagerly awaiting their stops.

 

I was on my way home after school. My lethargic body leaned against the cold, metallic pole. Suddenly, a movement caught my attention. A middle-aged man, with a bearded face and a tangle of curly hair;, was behaving suspiciously. His beady eyes were darting around swiftly. He spotted his target, an elderly man with a bulging wallet and kept eyeing on it. As sly as a fox, his lips curled in a smirk.

 

"Oh no, what is he going to do?" I thought feverishly to myself. At the very moment, the train screeched to a halt and the brazen middle-aged man seized the opportunity to lurch forward and palmed the old man's wallet. His action was swift and accurate. The old man was oblivious that his wallet had been stolen. When I caught sight of it, I gasped with appalling horror. I pointed to the pickpocket and raised the alarm, hollering, "Pickpocket!"

 

Upon hearing my yell, everyone turned to look at the horrid man. The old man then realized that his wallet was stolen! His pickpocket's face blanched in horror. To save his own skin, he made a beeline for the exits and dashed away like a scalded cat, pushing through the crowd and toppling them like dominoes. The everyday's heroes gave chase while others called the police. We were hot on his heels and he continued running hell for leather. After a hot pursuit, his speed slowed down and he was panting hard like a leopard after a hard chase.

 

A burly man managed to surge forward and pounce on him, pinning him to the floor. "Let me go! Let me go!" The pickpocket pleaded for mercy. It was pointless. We surrounded and cornered him. In the nick of time, two plainclothes police officers came and slapped a pair of handcuffs on him and escorted him away. The thief hung his head in remorse as he left.

 

I handed the wallet back to its rightful owner. The elderly man praised me for my quick wits to thwart the pickpocket's plan. I felt delighted for doing a good deed. As for the pickpocket, he was subsequently sentenced to three years of jail and two strokes of the cane. I certainly hope that he has learnt an important lesson which is 'Crime does not pay'. I wish he would turn over a new leaf and lead an upright life.