Police arrest man for breaking into Bedok North temple & stealing from donation boxes

A 55-year-old man was arrested within three hours for breaking into a temple and stealing cash from donation boxes.

​Arrested within three hours

On Jul. 31, the police were alerted at 4:06 am to a case of housebreaking, where a temple along Bedok North Avenue 3 was broken into, and cash worth S$390 was stolen from donation boxes.

Law enforcement conducted follow-up investigations and were able to establish the man’s identity with the aid of CCTV and police cameras.

He was subsequently arrested within three hours of the report.

The police were able to recover cash amounting to S$290.

They also believe the man is linked to two other unreported cases of housebreaking and theft at the same temple, where S$1,965 in cash was stolen.

A press release from the police stated that he will be charged on Aug. 1 with the offence of housebreaking and theft under Section 458A of the Penal Code 1871.

If found guilty, he will face imprisonment of up to 10 years, as well as possible caning or a fine.

Police advice

The police advise members of the public to secure openings such as doors and windows with good quality grilles and closed-shackle padlocks when leaving a premises unattended.

They also advise refraining from keeping large sums of cash or other valuables within the premises, as well as installing burglar alarms and CCTVs to cover access points.