But Mr Gani, in his late 30s, only made it to Upper Cross Street, near Chinatown Point. There, he was hit in the face, slashed with a knife and robbed of his black sling bag containing Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese currency.

He was delivering the money, from People's Park Centre, to his brother-in-law's money changer shop in The Arcarde at Raffles Place.

His brother-in-law, Mr Salim Mohamed Ali, 48, got a call at 2pm asking him to go to Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

Mr Gani had to undergo an operation, as the attack left him with knife wounds on his chest and left arm. A hospital spokesman said on Sunday that Mr Gani's condition was stable.

Police are looking for the suspect, a plump man with a tanned complexion, who was wearing a light blue shirt and pants.

Saturday's robbery is the second within a month in which robbers struck while the victim was delivering money. Last month, a man who was said to be delivering $200,000 to a money changer in Woodlands was set upon by parang-wielding robbers.