At 12 years of age, kids are old enough to go to a shop by themselves and buy a toy they like. They are certainly not old enough to be sold what looks like a lethal weapon.
So naturally, Singapore mum Farrah Diba was shocked when her 12-year-old boy brought home what looked like a lethal weapon, known as a Karambit.
Farrah posted a picture of the terribly sharp and dangerous looking object in a public Facebook post, and has has cautioned all parents about the danger of their kid picking up one of these easily accessible ‘toys’.
Here is what she says in her post (slightly modified here):
My barely 12 year old son came back from school with this shockingly sharp and lethal weapon called a Karambit. He said he bought it at [a shop in] Tampines 1 at only $15. I am appalled at how easy it is for a child in primary school to purchase this weapon without checking the age of the child. After calling the shop, the retailer there answered confidently. The retailer said that the weapon is allowed by the Singapore Police Force to be sold to any aged individual.
The curved blade was about 9.5cm long. It was so sharp, I could slice a thick piece of cardboard effortlessly. I am going to pursue this matter until every single locker [of this shop] with a weapon is raided and banned from being sold. Please spread the word. This is too much and I cannot imagine how many of these knives have already been bought by kids in our neighbourhood.
What is a karambit?
This knife has always traditionally been used as a weapon. The razor-sharp, hooked blade mimics a tiger’s claw, as such, means for hooking, tearing and ripping easily.
It originated in Indonesia in the 11th century. But it was quick to spread through the rest of Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia and the Philippines.
Mums and dads, we hope this post has served as a timely warning to you all. Do share to spread awareness.
theAsianparent has reached out to Singapore Police Force to clarify the shop-owner’s claim that these weapons are legal and able to be bought by anyone of any age in Singapore.
We will update this article once we hear back from them.