Apr 26, 2011
Jailed for stealing engine control units of Mercedes cars
By Khushwant Singh
A district court heard that between August 2009 and November 2010, Cham Kok Wye, 36, rode off with nine of these engine components that can cost up to $4,000 each. On Tuesday, the unemployed man was jailed 2 1/2 years. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
A MALAYSIAN man would ride in on his motorcycle to steal the engine control units (ECUs) of Mercedes-Benz cars here but was caught when he returned to strike in the same Pasir Ris car park in 2010.
A district court heard that between August 2009 and November 2010, Cham Kok Wye, 36, rode off with nine of these engine components that can cost up to $4,000 each. On Tuesday, the unemployed man was jailed 2 1/2 years.
Calling him a 'professional thief', District Judge Francis Remedios said Cham came here with a specific plan and was 'clearly aware of the value of the stolen items and the ease of which these could be disposed of'.
Court documents indicated that he had sold four of the ECUs, which were worth between $1,100 and $1,600, for RM2,400 (S$990) each on his return to Johor.
When Cham had pleaded guilty last week, Assistant Public Prosecutor Raja Mohan told the court that the Malaysian also targeted the German-made cars in multi-storey car parks in Serangoon North, Hougang, Choa Chu Kang and Fernvale Lane in Sengkang.
On Sept 28, 2010, the Malaysian rode in at 1.30am and headed to Block 158A Pasir Ris Street 13. There, he smashed the rear right window of a Mercedes-Benz car with a metal rod that he had brought along.
He then got in and opened the bonnet. With his screwdriver, he removed the car's ECU, which is about the size of a paperback. With it safely concealed on his motorcycle, he left Singapore at about 5.30am the same day.
The next month in October, he struck in Serangoon North but returned to the same car park in Pasir Ris on Nov 19. It was then that he was spotted meddling with the engine compartment of another car by the police officer monitoring the closed-circuit television footage of the car park.
