Singapore
By Lydia Lam 23 Apr 2021 02:04PM (Updated: 23 Apr 2021 02:10PM )
SINGAPORE: Over a period of a few months last year, a group of men broke into unoccupied schools and a factory in the dead of the night, stripping them of electrical cables to sell to recycling shops for profit.
The factory spent S$500,000 in repairs, while Hong Kah Secondary School spent S$188,642 to buy new cables and restore the power. Tampines Junior College had more than 210m of cables worth S$11,000 stolen from its grounds.
Bangladeshi national Islam Dwin, 30, was given a year and eight months' jail on Friday (Apr 23) for his involvement.
He pleaded guilty to eight charges including housebreaking and theft, with another 10 charges considered in sentencing.
The court heard that Islam and his co-accused Alam Mohammad Khorshed went to Hong Kah Secondary School in Jurong West one night in early March 2020.
They cut a hole in the perimeter fencing and entered the school, where they cut electrical cables from the circuit board and behind the false ceiling outside the school library.
At around 2.30am on Apr 23, 2020, Islam and co-accused Miah Shobus went to the old Tampines Junior College campus and entered similarly by cutting a hole in the fence.
They cut cables from the vacant school's electrical distribution board, tied them up and moved them to a staircase landing intending to take them to sell, but fled after being spotted by a security guard.
A few days later on Apr 26, 2020, Islam, Alam and two other co-accused went to the 3NC factory in Tuas Avenue 11. They went into a rubbish chute belonging to the company next door and cut a hole in the fence separating the two firms to gain entry to the grounds, before entering the building through a broken window.
They cut wires and cables from electrical distribution boards and various machines, and transported them out of the building.
The next day, the company director found that copper wires and electrical cables had been taken from the building and machines including an oven, a welding production line and a cutting machine. The company spent S$500,000 to replace the stolen cables and reinstate the power system.
Between January and April 2020, Islam went to a recycling shop to sell cables and wires. He received amounts ranging from S$450 to S$729.20, in exchange for between 91 and 276 pieces of cables or wires.
When Islam was arrested, he admitted to stealing wires and cables from various locations around Singapore.
The prosecution sought at least 20 months' jail for him, noting the planning and deliberation in his crimes, the lack of restitution and the losses sustained by the victims.
Islam's lawyer said her client was not the mastermind and there was no abuse of trust. She said his source of stress was over a loan in Bangladesh, and that his parents had medical issues and could not work. He also had a sickly younger sister, she said.
The cases for Islam's co-accused are pending.
Source: CNA/ll(hs)
Continue reading...
Man jailed for breaking into schools and factory to steal electrical cables
Screengrabs from Google Street View of 3NC and the vacant Tampines Junior College building.By Lydia Lam 23 Apr 2021 02:04PM (Updated: 23 Apr 2021 02:10PM )
Share this content
Bookmark
SINGAPORE: Over a period of a few months last year, a group of men broke into unoccupied schools and a factory in the dead of the night, stripping them of electrical cables to sell to recycling shops for profit.
The factory spent S$500,000 in repairs, while Hong Kah Secondary School spent S$188,642 to buy new cables and restore the power. Tampines Junior College had more than 210m of cables worth S$11,000 stolen from its grounds.
Bangladeshi national Islam Dwin, 30, was given a year and eight months' jail on Friday (Apr 23) for his involvement.
He pleaded guilty to eight charges including housebreaking and theft, with another 10 charges considered in sentencing.
READ: Man first to be jailed for spate of wire thefts from vacant school that cost S$480,000 in repairs
The court heard that Islam and his co-accused Alam Mohammad Khorshed went to Hong Kah Secondary School in Jurong West one night in early March 2020.
They cut a hole in the perimeter fencing and entered the school, where they cut electrical cables from the circuit board and behind the false ceiling outside the school library.
At around 2.30am on Apr 23, 2020, Islam and co-accused Miah Shobus went to the old Tampines Junior College campus and entered similarly by cutting a hole in the fence.
They cut cables from the vacant school's electrical distribution board, tied them up and moved them to a staircase landing intending to take them to sell, but fled after being spotted by a security guard.
READ: 4 men accused of stealing up to S$11,000 of copper cables from vacant JC buildings
A few days later on Apr 26, 2020, Islam, Alam and two other co-accused went to the 3NC factory in Tuas Avenue 11. They went into a rubbish chute belonging to the company next door and cut a hole in the fence separating the two firms to gain entry to the grounds, before entering the building through a broken window.
They cut wires and cables from electrical distribution boards and various machines, and transported them out of the building.
The next day, the company director found that copper wires and electrical cables had been taken from the building and machines including an oven, a welding production line and a cutting machine. The company spent S$500,000 to replace the stolen cables and reinstate the power system.
Between January and April 2020, Islam went to a recycling shop to sell cables and wires. He received amounts ranging from S$450 to S$729.20, in exchange for between 91 and 276 pieces of cables or wires.
When Islam was arrested, he admitted to stealing wires and cables from various locations around Singapore.
The prosecution sought at least 20 months' jail for him, noting the planning and deliberation in his crimes, the lack of restitution and the losses sustained by the victims.
Islam's lawyer said her client was not the mastermind and there was no abuse of trust. She said his source of stress was over a loan in Bangladesh, and that his parents had medical issues and could not work. He also had a sickly younger sister, she said.
The cases for Islam's co-accused are pending.
Source: CNA/ll(hs)
Continue reading...