Two China nationals jailed for stealing from donation boxes at a temple and mosque
Published on Jan 03, 2014
By Elena Chong
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Two men from China were jailed on Friday for stealing cash from a temple's donation box.
Qin Chaofan, 37, and Qin Zhipu, 31, admitted to stealing $500 from the donation box of Cheng Hong Siang Tng Temple at Arumugam Road on Nov 26 last year. A similar charge involving $38 stolen from the temple two days earlier was considered during sentencing.
Chaofan was sentenced to six months' jail while Zhipu was jailed for nine months after pleading guilty to another of theft of $70 from the donation box at Sultan Mosque on Aug 29 last year. The Sultan Mosque offence was committed with Wei Jia, who has not been charged.
A court heard that the two natives from Guangxi heard that it was easy to steal from donation boxes in religious places of worship in Singapore and had hatched the plan to steal in their hometown. They were staying in a hotel in Geylang when they made their way by cab to the temple off Paya Lebar Road in a taxi.
Get the full story from The Straits Times.
