3 Chinese men steal over S$1,479 from donation boxes in S'pore temples, churches using 'fishing' method from Douyin
They were each sentenced to seven months in jail.Khine Zin Htet |
Three men from China learned, via instructional videos on Chinese social media platform Douyin, how to steal money from donation boxes using a "fishing" method.
They then came to Singapore to commit theft in places of worship.
The police arrested the trio after employees at these places noticed them and made police reports.
According to CNA, Zou Fangshou, 32, Qin Xiaonuo, 29, and Qin Chaoban, 38, each pleaded guilty to one charge of theft with common intention.
The money that they stole amounted to S$1,479 in cash and smaller amounts of other currencies such as U.S. and Hong Kong dollars.
Each man received a seven-month jail sentence on Nov. 2.
Learned technique from Douyin
The court heard that the three men had watched instructional videos on Douyin that taught them how to steal from a donation box.
The method involved a string fastened to a metal object, with a sticky tape affixed to it. When this contraption is inserted into a donation box's slot, money bills would adhere to the sticky surface of the tape, enabling one to "fish" out the money.
The trio arrived in Singapore on social visit passes on Sep. 6 this year. They purchased metal pieces, string and tapes from shops near their hotel and went back to their room to practise "fishing".
Zou also bought a black bag in China that had a hole and a zipper. They would place it on top of a donation box and pretend to be looking through the bag while fishing for money using the hole.
Over the next two days on Sep. 7 and 8, the trio visited three churches, two temples and one monastery in places like Thomson Road, Punggol and Woodlands.
They took turns "fishing" for money and keeping a lookout, using their mobile phones to communicate.
Caught by employees of places they stole from
Several employees in the places they stole from were suspicious of the trio after noticing them loitering and looking around. They then made police reports.
Closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) also caught them in the act of stealing from the donation boxes.
Pictures of the three men were distributed within a WhatsApp chat group that included church personnel and volunteers throughout Singapore to warn one another about them.
This proved useful.
Once, when the trio were at the Church of the Transfiguration in Punggol, Zou felt that something was wrong after noticing that an employee was watching the three of them.
He he quickly disposed of the evidence by throwing the "fishing" device into a river
After believing that they had evaded detection, Qin found a wooden stick to use in future "fishing" operations.
Police traced them to their hotel
The police were able to trace the trio to their hotel, and subsequently arrested them.
They seized multiple items from them, including their clothes, the stick, the phones used, the black bag with the hole at the bottom. Money bills in various currencies that had a sticky substance on them were also found and seized.
The three men admitted to stealing S$1,479, US$16, RM 63, 26.05 yuan, CAD$10, HK$100 and 100 Omani Baisa from donation boxes.
No restitution has been made for some of the stolen money that the three said has been spent on their expenses such as taxi fares.
The prosecutor sought a seven to nine-month jail term for each man, explaining that it was necessary in order to deter foreigners from perceiving Singapore as an easy target to perpetuate crimes.
There was a transnational element to their crimes, which were also group offences, with six places of worship visited in two days.
The men asked for leniency in mitigation.
Saying that he did not know the law in Singapore, Zou admitted to his guilt and asked for leniency.
In response, the judge asked him if stealing from a temple in China would be correct.
