SINGAPORE - A 44-year-old Singaporean man has been arrested for attempted armed robbery near City Plaza.

A 52-year-old cabby told police that at around 4am on Thursday (Dec 28), his passenger had tried to rob him using a penknife near City Plaza.

The Straits Times understands that the taxi driver had picked up the suspect in Punggol and dropped him off near City Plaza.

The man reportedly asked the cabby for money. When the cabby refused to give him any, the man threatened him with a penknife. He did not manage to rob the taxi driver and fled.

The cabby saw police officers nearby and asked them for help at around 4am. The police arrested the suspect at 5.50am that same day after investigations.

If found guilty of attempted armed robbery, he can be jailed between two and seven years and receive a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.

In October this year, a 60-year-old man allegedly robbed a woman at knifepoint in Punggol and made off with items worth less than $15.

Earlier in August, a 58-year-old man was charged in court with armed robbery. He had used a knife to carry out the robbery at a Western Union branch in Ubi, escaping with $4,000 in cash.

That same month, a 48-year-old man was charged over the first armed robbery of a petrol kiosk in Singapore in 10 years.

He allegedly robbed a Shell outlet in Upper Bukit Timah Road of $1,193 in cash on July 31.