Man, 41, swam into S'pore & broke into former school at Bishan to steal copper wires, tested positive for meth

A Bangladeshi man swam back into Singapore and broke into a compound that was once occupied by Bishan Park Secondary School to steal copper wires, causing S$55,000 in damages.

Ahamad Mahfuz, 41, was previously caught entering Singapore without a valid pass and banned from re-entering.

On Feb. 9, Ahamad pleaded guilty and was handed a sentence of three years and 30 months' jail for his crimes, which included housebreaking and offences under the Immigration and Misuse of Drugs Acts.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Adelle Tai said that Ahamad's "illegal re-entry was deliberate and covert", and that his re-entry was to "commit further serious offences (housebreaking and drug crimes)".

Repatriated once

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Ahamad was previously found guilty of entering Singapore without a valid pass and was served with an order of removal on Jun. 30, 2023, after his release.

Prior to his repatriation, Ahamad was given a written notice informing him he was barred from entering Singapore and that he would have to obtain prior permission to return.

Ahamad accepted the notice and acknowledged the consequences of breaching the ban notice before he was lawfully removed from Singapore on Jul. 1, 2023.

Despite this, Ahamad swam illegally into Singapore sometime in April 2024.

Broke into former Bishan Park Secondary School

Between April and June 2024, Ahamad masterminded a scheme to steal copper wires and told his friends to meet him at the former school on Sin Ming Walk.

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) property was the former premises of Bishan Park Secondary School.

He brought two bags of tools that contained items such as a crowbar, cutter and torchlight.

At around 10pm, the group entered through a hole in the back gate's perimeter fence, and Ahamad instructed his friends to check for security officers or cameras; there were none.

Ahamad showed his friends around the former school and pointed to trash bags and ladders.

As his friends were on the lookout, he cut copper wires and stuffed them into the trash bags.

Ahamad told his friends to drive his lorry to the front gate of the former school, and the group loaded the bags on and left.

On Jun. 3, 2024, at 4:25pm, a security officer called the police to report that the wires in the risers of the building at the premises had been cut.

Police investigated the premises and found the accused's fingerprints on a windowpane at the scene.

Ahamad was subsequently arrested on Jun. 3, 2024.

He has not made restitution for the cut wires, which have an estimated reinstatement cost of S$55,000.

Drug paraphernalia seized

During Ahamad's arrest on Jun. 3, 2024, drug paraphernalia was seized, and urine samples were obtained.

The samples were sent to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and were found to contain methamphetamine.

DPP Tai said that Ahamad's actions aggravate the immigration offence as he used "the illegal entry as a means to facilitate crime, not just an end in itself".

Illegal entry into Singapore after being lawfully repatriated carries a jail term of up to 3 years, a fine of up to S$6,000, and removal from Singapore.

Housebreaking carries a jail term of up to 10 years, and offenders may be fined.

Top photo from Google Maps and court documents