TWO MEN ARRESTED FOR THEFT AND DISHONESTLY RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY

The Police have arrested two men, aged 47 and 26, for their suspected involvement in a case of theft and dishonestly receiving stolen property.

On 15 June 2023 at about 5pm, the Police received a report that a watch valued at about $88,000 was missing after the victim alighted from a taxi.

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of CCTV images, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identity of men and arrested them on 23 June 2023. Preliminary investigations revealed that the 48-year-old man had allegedly stolen the watch and sold it to the 26-year-old man. The former is also believed to be involved in other similar cases of theft.

Both men will be charged in court on 24 June 2023. The 47-year-old man will be charged with theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code 1871, which carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, or fine, or both. The 26-year-old man will be charged with dishonestly receiving stolen property under Section 411 of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to five years, or fine, or both.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
23 June 2023 @ 10:15 PM

Similar cases

Earlier this month, a woman left her laptop inside a Grab car after alighting and when she finally received a call from the driver, he allegedly asked her for $200 to return her the laptop.

The woman’s husband then contacted Grab’s support to report the driver fro extortion but his wife panicked and ended up relenting and paying the driver to get her laptop back.

Here is what they said

Wife forgot to take her laptop sleeve with her when she got out of the Grab ride around 10 in the morning. Called driver several times, didn’t pick up.

Contacted Grab support who said they were unable to contact him via call either and that they’ve left him a message.

Finally he calls my wife and says that he can return it next week. This is her work laptop and there was also hard drive with her important research data for which deliverables are due this weekend.

He then goes on to say “give me $200, I’m too busy and my boss will yell at me. Anyway I’m only asking $200 its such a low amount. And that he will return it by 3pm”.

In the meanwhile I myself contact Grab support to report extortion and they try contacting him and he doesn’t pick up. They tell me to wait.

My wife panics and we decide there is nothing we can do. She has already had a bad week so she transfers the money. Only then he picks her call and says he is having lunch and can return by 3:30. He does return it.

We did it thinking we will get the laptop back at least and then file a report somewhere. Wondering if anything we can do to get money back? FYI $200 is not a small amount.

We had already decided to give him $50 just for the trouble and perhaps missed rides during that time… until he decided to extort..

The Singapore Police Force have arrested 2 men for separate cases of loanshark harassment at a number of residential units.

First case

The Police have arrested a 33-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a case of loanshark harassment.

On 17 June 2023, the Police were alerted to a case of loanshark harassment at a residential unit along Tampines Street 22, where the unit’s front door and metal gate was splashed with red and black paint.

Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from Police cameras, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him on 24 June 2023. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is allegedly involved in other similar cases of loanshark harassments.

The man will be charged in court on 26 June 2023 under the Moneylenders Act 2008. First time offenders found guilty of loanshark harassment shall be fined not less than $5,000 and not more than $50,000, with mandatory imprisonment of up to five years, and caning of up to six strokes.

The Police have zero tolerance for loanshark harassment activities. Those who deliberately vandalise properties, cause annoyance and disruption to public safety, peace and security will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

Members of the public are advised to stay away from loansharks and not to work with or assist them in any way. The public can call the Police at ‘999’ or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5664 if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in illegal loansharking activities.

Second case

The Police have arrested a 38-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a case of loanshark harassment.

On 25 June 2023, the Police were alerted to a case of loanshark harassment at a residential unit along Geylang East Avenue 1, where the padlock for the front gate was glued with an unknown substance and the walls beside the unit were scrawled with loanshark-related graffiti. A debtor’s note was also left behind.

Through investigations and with the aid of images from Police cameras, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of the man within 24 hours and arrested him on 26 June 2023.

The man will be charged in court on 27 June 2023 under the Moneylenders Act 2008. For first time offenders, the offence of loanshark harassment carries a fine of not less than $5,000, and not more than $50,000, with mandatory imprisonment of up to five years, and mandatory caning of up to six strokes.

The Police have zero tolerance against loanshark harassment activities. Those who deliberately vandalise properties, cause annoyance and disruption to public safety, peace and security will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

Members of the public are advised to stay away from loansharks and not to work with or assist them in any way. Members of the public can call the Police at ‘999’ or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5664 if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in illegal loansharking activities.

The Police have arrested a 28-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a series of e-commerce scams involving the sale of “Pokemon” cards.

Between 20 and 24 June 2023, the Police received several reports from victims who were purportedly cheated by an online seller, who had allegedly advertised the sale of “Pokemon” cards on Carousell. The man allegedly received deposits from the victims via PayNow and became uncontactable.

Through follow up investigations, officers from Ang Mo Kio Division established the identity of the man and arrested him on 26 June 2023. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to be involved in at least eight similar cases with losses amounting to more than S$9,000.

The man will be charged in court on 27 June 2023 with cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871. The offence of cheating carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.

The Police would like to advise members of the public to take the following precautions when making online purchases:

1. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Purchase only from authorised sellers or reputable sources, especially for high-value items.
   
2. Opt for buyer protection by using in-built payment options that release payment to the seller only upon delivery. Whenever possible, avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the seller as this method does not offer any protection.
   
3. Scammers may entice buyers to contact them directly through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or WeChat by offering a better or faster deal if bank transfer payments are made directly to them. They may also use a local bank account or provide a copy of a NRIC/driver’s license to make you believe that they are genuine sellers. Do not fall for it!

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
26 June 2023 @ 10:15 PM