Thief responsible for house break-ins around Punggol Drive nabbed

Police have arrested a 38-year-old man who is believed to be responsible for a series of break-ins at newly-completed units located along Punggol Drive.

This what we usually call “akyat bahay”. 

The term used to refer to notorious criminal gangs who rob houses by scaling through the roof, window, or any part of the house that allows access inside it.

Also refers to the manner of stealing by surreptitiously entering a victim’s house by climbing its walls to gain access to a window or force an opening through the roof or the wall.

Between January 2011 and April 2011, a number of break-ins were reported at newly completed units which were undergoing final renovation works along Punggol Drive. The culprit would usually target units that were secured by combination padlocks, and break in to steal newly purchased electrical appliances such as televisions, media entertainment systems and other household and personal items of value.

Through extensive enquiries and follow up investigation, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division managed to establish the identity of the suspect. On 8 April 2011 at about 1.30pm , the suspect was arrested at the vicinity of Woodlands Ring Road. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect is believed to have broken into at least seven units and had stolen items worth a total of about S$30,000/-.

The suspect will be charged in Court on 9 April 2011 for Housebreaking and Theft by Night under Section 457 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum of 14 years' imprisonment.

Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division HQ, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun advised home owners to ensure that their units are properly secured with strong locks.

26-year-old pickpocket arrested in Harbourfront Centre

A SERIAL thief who stole from his victims by slitting their pockets with a razor blade, was caught on Monday.

The 26-year-old man struck mostly in the Ang Mo Kio area, targeting those who were napping in void decks or pavilions within the estate. Using a razor blade, he slit open their pockets and made off with the victims' valuables.

Several of such cases had been reported in February and April.

However, the man was arrested at Harbourfront Centre on Monday, and is currently suspected of being responsible for nine more similar cases in Ang Mo Kio.

He will be charged in court on Wednesday.

Handbag snatcher on a stolen motorcycle arrested

Not even Singapore is safe with this kind of petty crime activity anymore…..

Singapore Police have arrested a 44-year-old man who is believed to be involved in a case of snatch theft using a stolen motorcycle.

A 32-year-old woman was walking along Akyab Road when a man riding a motorcycle suddenly snatched her handbag and sped off.

Through extensive enquiries and follow-up investigation, officers from Tanglin Police Division managed to establish the suspect’s identity and arrested him at his home on 4 April 2011 . Preliminary investigations reveal that the suspect had stolen the motorcycle that was used to commit the snatch theft. The victim’s handbag and the stolen motorcycle were successfully recovered. The suspect is believed to be involved in other similar cases and police investigations are ongoing.

The suspect will be charged in Court on 6 April 2011 for the offences of Snatch Theft and Theft of a Motor Vehicle under Section 356 and Section 379A of the Penal Code respectively. If convicted, the suspect faces a jail term of up to 7 years and caning.

Commander of Tanglin Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Koh Yak Leng advised motorcycle owners to park at well-lit areas, lock their motorcycle before leaving even if it is for a short while, and secure their motorcycle using additional strong locks.

Mobile phone snatcher caught in Tampines

Singapore Police have arrested a 27 year-old man who is believed to have snatched a woman’s mobile phone at Tampines St 21 this morning.

On 25 March 2011 at about 8.00am, a 27 year-old woman was walking along the void deck of Blk 245 Tampines St 21 when an unknown man came from behind and snatched away her mobile phone which she was holding in her hand.

Following the report, officers from Bedok Police Division conducted follow-up investigations and swiftly established the identity of the suspect. Within 3 hours, the suspect was arrested at a budget hotel in Geylang. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is also believed to be involved in another similar case of snatch theft.

The suspect will be charged in court on 26 March 2011 for snatch theft under Section 356 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, which carries a maximum punishment of 7 years imprisonment and caning.

Singapore Police: Appeal for information to a theft at a supermarket in Changi Airport Terminal 1

Have you seen this man?

Singapore Police are looking for the man shown in the photo to assist with investigations into a case of theft at a supermarket located at Changi Airport Terminal 1 on 19 Jan 2011 .

The man is believed to be a male Chinese in his late 30s and was last seen wearing a striped polo-shirt. He was also seen carrying a black haversack and a green paper bag.

Anyone with information on the man is requested to call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Three woman behind bars for shoplifting in Mustafa Shopping Centre

Image via Wikipedia

Three women were jailed on Tuesday for shoplifting at Mustafa Centre in Little India.

Mustafa Centre is Singapore's only 24-hour shopping mall, which is located on Syed Alwi Road in Little India.

Two of them, 32-year-old Hawa Nachia A Muhammad Yassin and her sister-in-law, 35-year-old Najmudeen Saharjath, will each have to spend 12 weeks behind bars.

The housewives had worked together with an alleged accomplice, Najmudeen's husband Mohammed Riaz, to steal more than $$2,500 worth of clothes, stationery and toiletries from the 24-hour store on Jan 15.

According to court documents, the trio arrived at the store at around 8.45pm that day and stuffed the items into Mustafa Centre shopping bags which they found discarded on the premises.

But they were stopped in their tracks by the store's security as they were heading for the exits.

The two women, who were unrepresented, pleaded for leniency, saying they had to care for their children.

Both of them appeared distraught when District Judge Roy Neighbour handed them their sentence.

Muhammad Riaz, a 40-year-old cab driver, hasn't been dealt with. He will be back in court on Thursday next week.

In another case, a 35-year-old retail assistant, Siti Farah Sheik Zainal Abdin, was sentenced to a day's jail and fined $2,000 after stealing more than $300 worth of items from the store.

She was caught when an anti-theft alarm was triggered.

Singapore Police arrested a 51 year-old Malaysian for posing as ‘Bogus Electrician’

Police have arrested a 51 year-old Malaysian national who is believed to be responsible for numerous cases of theft in dwelling at various housing estates by posing as an electrician.

The ‘bogus electrician’ was known to target elderly persons and would pose as an electrician to gain entry into the victim’s unit on the pretext of checking/repairing the power supply. Upon entering the premises, the victim would be asked by the suspect to hold a bamboo pole against a light bulb in the kitchen toilet to facilitate the checks. The suspect would then take this opportunity to steal cash and/or jewelry from the premises while the victim was occupied. In the latest case reported on 26 October 2010, a 76 year-old woman living at Bendemeer Road fell prey to the ‘bogus electrician’ who made off with about $10,000 cash and $4,000 worth of jewelry.

Following these cases, officers from Central Police Division conducted extensive enquiries and investigations in a bid to nab the suspect. Police also issued a crime alert via the media on the suspect’s description and modus operandi, together with a crime prevention advisory to warn members of the public against him.

The officers’ hard work and perseverance finally paid off when the suspect’s identity was established through investigations and intelligence probes. With this important lead, an operation was mounted and the suspect was detained at Woodlands Checkpoint on 22 November 2010 at 2.50pm as he was about to leave Singapore.

The suspect will be charged in Court on 24 November 2010 for an offence of Theft in Dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 which carries a jail term of 7 years and a fine. He will be remanded for further investigations thereafter.

Beware: Several cases of theft by “Bogus Electrician”

Since June this year, there have been several cases of theft in dwelling at various housing estates in Jalan Kukoh, Selegie House, Everton Park, Sims Drive, Chin Swee Road, and Jurong West committed by a male perpetrator posing as an electrician.

Modus Operandi

In most of these cases, the perpetrator would pose as an electrician/technician and gain entry into the victim's unit on the pretext of checking/repairing the electrical supply. The perpetrator was known to converse with the victims in either Malay or Hokkien and in most cases, would ask the victim to hold a bamboo pole against the light bulb in the kitchen toilet to facilitate his checks. The perpetrator would then make use of the opportunity to steal from the victim while he/she was distracted and make away with cash and/or jewellery. To date, cash about S$33,640/-; 3 handphones and jewellery worth more than $36,000/- have been stolen in these cases.

The victims targeted were mostly elderly persons who were alone at home and the perpetrator usually struck during the late morning to mid afternoon period.

Crime Prevention Advisory

Members of the public are advised to be aware of and vigilant against such perpetrators. Police would also like to advise residents to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

• Always keep the grille gates locked and never open the doors to strangers
• Do not allow anyone who claims to be a government official or repairman to enter your house without verifying his identity
• If in doubt, verify with the relevant authorities, or contact your family members or Police for assistance
• Never hand over any deposit to strangers for services which you did not engage; and
• Do not keep large sums of money or valuables in the house. Keep the money in a safe or deposit it in the bank.

source: Singapore Police

Crime Advisory: Increased Bicycle Theft Around Hougang Area

According to Hougang Neighborhood Police Centre, there has been an increasing bicycle theft reported around Hougang Public Housing Estate. Most of the thefts occurred around common public areas such as void decks and corridors.

Here are some of the preventions measures as advised by the Police:

• Keep your bicycle indoors when not in use. If not possible, secure it to a designated bicycle bay.
• Use durable locks made of 100% steel. "U-Locks" provides better protection compared to a chain or cable lock.
• Lock your bicycle at a well-lit place with high human traffic.

If you witness any crime or theft, report it by calling 999.