Man molests sleeping woman on MRT, fellow male passenger films incident and shows victim
A man who molested a woman’s chest while she was sleeping on an MRT train was caught red-handed when a fellow passenger witnessed the act, recorded it and showed the footage to the victim when she alighted.
The offender, Cai Zhijie (transliterated), pleaded guilty to two charges out of one count of voyeurism and five counts of outrage of modesty. The 29-year-old was sentenced to 24 months’ jail and three strokes of the cane.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place at about 6.30pm on Sept 17, 2025. The 25-year-old victim boarded a train at Changi Airport MRT station and later transferred to a train bound for Raffles Place at Tanah Merah station. She fell asleep shortly after taking her seat.
After boarding the train, Cai noticed the victim, who was dressed in a tank top and sports bra, and deliberately sat in the empty seat beside her.
He initially waited for her to lean towards him, but when she did not, he crossed his arms over his chest and extended a finger twice to molest her breasts.
A male passenger who boarded the train at Lavender station happened to be seated directly opposite the pair, and recorded the incident on his phone.
When the victim alighted at her destination, the passenger followed her off the train and showed her the video. Unaware that she had been molested while asleep, the woman later lodged a police report on Sept 20, 2025, submitting the footage as evidence.
Cai was arrested three days later. He was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric assessment, but doctors found that he did not suffer from any mental illness. He was released on bail on Oct 9, 2025.
Filmed woman on train while on bail
He molested another woman, aged 48, on an MRT train just five months later while out on bail, and was subsequently arrested.
A search of his mobile phone also revealed a 24-second video filmed from above, showing a woman seated in a train carriage, with both her face and chest captured.
Cai admitted that he had recorded the video on Oct 16, 2025.
He was charged in court on March 16 and has remained in remand since.
Previously jailed three times for molestation
The court heard that Cai had previously been jailed three times for related offences and reoffended just eight months after his latest release.
The prosecution noted that he was sentenced to 11 months’ jail in 2021, 14 months’ jail in 2022 and 16 months’ jail in 2024 for separate molestation offences.
In mitigation, Cai said he had reflected on his actions during three months of remand and understood the harm he had caused to the victims and his family. He acknowledged that his family was disappointed in him.
He told the court that he intended to attend courses and counselling programmes while in prison. He also said he would seek professional help after his release.
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