SUDDEN SPIKE IN CASES
Before the recent cases, housebreaking crimes were on a downward trend, the police said. Fifty-nine cases were reported in the first half of this year, compared with 70 in the same period last year.
However, 10 cases were reported between Jun 1 and Aug 4 this year, most of them taking place in private residential estates around the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road.
The stolen items in the 10 cases were valued at S$3.85 million (US$2.92 million), of which about S$1.36 million worth of items have been recovered.
Three suspects have since been arrested and charged in court. Long Zhihua, 38, and Luo Changchang, 43, were charged on Jun 28, while Wu Jinxing was charged on Jul 29.