S'porean man, 56, arrested for allegedly stealing S$100 & smashing car windows in Tengah & Bukit Batok

56-year-old Chandran Sinnathamby has been charged with theft and mischief after allegedly smashing the side windows of several parked cars in the vicinity of Tengah and Bukit Batok, and allegedly stealing about S$100 in cash from one of them.

It is unclear if anything was taken from the other affected vehicles.

In a press release, police said they received multiple reports on May 3 of vehicles with shattered windows in the area.

Day of incident

According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident is believed to have taken place at a multi-storey car park at Block 112 Plantation Crescent.

The affected vehicles included two white cars, including a Mitsubishi, and a grey Mercedes. A Dongfeng electric vehicle parked nearby was also found with a damaged window.

Police officers were seen at the scene conducting investigations after the case was reported at around 10:30am, Shin Min reported.

Police said items including about S$100 in cash and paper receipts were stolen from one of the cars.

Two of the affected car owners told Shin Min that they only discovered the damage after returning to their vehicles or after being alerted by the police.

One of the car owners, with the Mitsubishi, said he had parked his car the night before and found the window smashed the next morning.

He added that he had no disputes with anyone and was unsure why his vehicle was targeted.

The Mercedes owner, who had left his car parked over the weekend, said it was the first time he had encountered such an incident in the two years he had been parking there.

Aftermath

Following the reports, officers from Jurong Police Division carried out follow-up investigations and identified the suspect with the help of police camera footage.

He was subsequently arrested within 13 hours of the first report.

Chandran was charged in court on May 5.

If convicted, he faces up to three years’ jail, a fine, or both.

Police investigations into a separate offence of mischief are ongoing.