Miss Universe S’pore Annika Sager reunited with lost bag after post goes viral, thanks netizens for support
Miss Universe Singapore Annika Sager, who lost a bag containing important documents and belongings while riding her motorcycle to work, has appealed to the finder to return it and for the police to act with urgency.
In a post on her Instagram account @annikaxuesager on Aug 5, the fitness instructor and model says the bag fell off her motorcycle at Swiss Club Road while she was on her way to work at 7am on Aug 3. It has been more than 48 hours since her bag went missing.
When she realised she had lost her bag, Sager opened the Find My app on her phone, remembering that her Apple AirPods were in her bag.
Sager said she returned to the spot where it was last located in less than five minutes, but the bag was already gone.
Based on a picture Sager provided in the video, the bag in question appears to be a black pannier with a top handle.
“Last location showed it had been picked up along 7 Swiss Club Road where there was an operating guard house with CCTV,” says Sager.
“I spoke to the security guard, and the only information he could give me was that a black car had picked up the bag,” recounts Sager. She said she asked to see the CCTV footage but was told that was not possible.
So she tracked the AirPods in her bag instead.
Bag seemingly ‘travelled’ over multiple places in Singapore
“Over the next 48 hours, my bag travelled all over Singapore – Changi Airport, Pullman Hotel Hill Street, St Joseph’s Institution and so many other locations,” she says, which made her wonder if the driver was a private hire vehicle driver.
Sager seemingly got close to recovering her bag when she managed to catch up to the AirPods’ live location in the afternoon of Aug 4 – at a housing estate in Bukit Panjang.
“I found a car parked exactly where Find My was indicating. I can’t say for certain that this is the correct vehicle because location tracking isn’t always perfect, but I was standing almost directly above the signal, and this was the only black car that it was showing,” she says.
However, the driver was not present and so Sager returned in the evening.
“This time, the location had moved into an HDB block, and I went up and down all nine floors trying to reconnect to the AirPods to narrow down which unit they were in, but I could not get a precise enough signal,” she says.
Sager adds that the AirPods' signal is her only chance of recovering her bag, and that it would be gone once the battery dies. She says she has “nothing” now apart from her phone, as her bag contained her credit and debit cards, driver’s licence and identity card, AirPods, spectacles, the keys to her other motorcycle, speakers, and makeup, among other items.
“Within an hour of losing my bag, I filed a police report and since then I’ve been in contact with the investigation officer and I’ve provided everything I possibly can,” she says in the video, adding, “I understand there are many other cases to investigate, I get that.
I just hope that my case can be looked into with some urgency.”
She also hopes the person who found the bag will return it.
“Also, obviously posting this so that if the person who picked up my bag is watching this, please, return it to the police, please just return it to me. I know it may have started as someone finding a lost bag, but it’s been two days now, and I’m just asking for it to be returned, no questions asked,” she says.
Hopes her video reaches the right person
Her post has since racked up over 130,000 views, and 170 comments.
Netizens offered their good wishes with many suggesting to wait at the car for the driver.
“I did actually go down at 4am yesterday, but by then the car had already left and was driving around again,” says Sager.
“The driver’s schedule seems quite unpredictable, and because I don’t know who they are or how they might react, I’m a bit apprehensive about waiting around to confront them myself. Might reconsider and go down with some ‘backup’.
“For now, I’m just hoping the video reaches the right person or helps in recovering my belongings. Thank you again for all your support, it really does give me hope.”
Black car ‘not involved’, owner’s family clarifies
On Aug 7, the son of the owner of the black car contacted Stomp to say the vehicle was “not involved”.
“The car has been parked there since last week as my dad takes the MRT to work, and it hasn’t moved an inch out of the lot,” he said.
“It is definitely not my dad who took the bag. He didn’t even drive the car, so how could he have taken the bag?
Referring to Sager’s account that she returned to the location at about 4am but the car had already left, he added: “I wonder why Annika can say that she was there at 4am and the car wasn’t there. My dad was still sleeping at that time.”
The police have confirmed with Stomp that a report was lodged and that investigations are ongoing.
Reunited with lost belongings
Sager provided an update to the case on the afternoon of Aug 6, saying that she received a call from the investigation officer the previous night, informing her that the police were in possession of her lost belongings.
She shared that two police officers visited her home shortly after the call to record her statement and go through her belongings.
“Thankfully, almost everything was returned. The only thing missing was some cash from my wallet,” said Sager.
According to Sager, the individual who held on to her bag was apparently “busy”. She added that the person tried to hand it in at a police station, only to discover that it was not an “active station”.
Ending her video, Sager said she was “relieved” to have her items returned and took the opportunity to thank netizens for their support.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include information from a follow-up video posted by Annika Sager, as well as a response from the family member of the black car she referred to.
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