Suspicious man, 60, spotted loitering outside house near Bartley Road allegedly stole S$40,000 watch & cash

A thief broke into a house while the homeowner was out, stealing several hundred dollars in cash and a luxury watch worth nearly S$40,000.

The act was discovered after the homeowners returned home and a neighbouring domestic helper informed them that she had noticed a suspicious man outside their house.

The incident occurred at around 8pm on Feb. 28 at a single-storey terrace house in the How Sun estate near Bartley Road.

On Wednesday evening (Mar. 4), a reporter from Shin Min Daily News visited the estate and located the victim's unit.

Domestic helper noticed suspicious man

The homeowner, surnamed Wong, said in an interview that she and her husband were out at the time of the incident.

When her family returned home around 9pm, the maid from the neighbouring unit ran over in a panic, showed them a video, and asked if they recognised the man in it.

Wong said the man had initially been loitering outside the house, and the domestic helper thought he might be a relative or acquaintance.

After confirming with her husband that the man was a stranger, Wong immediately called the police.

The helper later told Shin Min that she had seen an older man behaving suspiciously outside the unit that evening.

As she did not know who he was, she did not dare to approach him.

She then saw him enter the house and leave about 10 minutes later, prompting her to quickly record a video.

Cash and luxury watch stolen

A subsequent inspection of the home revealed that several hundred dollars in cash had been stolen.

A luxury watch worth nearly S$40,000 — a gift from Wong's husband — was also missing.

Another woman living across the street said she saw the same man carrying a white bag on his shoulder before quickly disappearing into a corner of the alley.

Suspect later arrested

Wong later learned that the suspect had been arrested.

She said she was relieved and added that she had since installed a lock on the outer iron gate.

Top photo from Shin Min Daily News