Man set fire after break-ins

[General Veers]

Singapore
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Feb 5, 2010

Man set fire after break-ins

AFTER breaking into a flat and stealing the valuables, the suspect would set fire to the unit to cover his tracks. The 48-year-old man is believed to have deliberately set fire to at least three flats before he escaped. Police eventually caught the suspect early on Friday morning at Block 69 Geylang Bahru. A search of his home uncovered four bottles of thinner and an assortment of tools. In the latest case on Tuesday, police received a report that a flat at level 10 of Block 72 Geylang Bahru was on fire. Both the Singapore Civil Defence Force and police rushed to the scene put up the fire. No one was injured.

But police investigations revealed that before the fire, the HDB unit had been broken into and ransacked; and about $500 in cash had been stolen.
Investigations also revealed that this happened to two other units at Block 23 Bendemeer Road last December. In these cases, the culprit had entered into the units by forcing open the window panes and grilles of the bedrooms along the common corridors. The culprit then set fire to the units before fleeing. The suspect will be charged in court on Saturday morning with house-breaking and theft, which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years. He also faces a charge of committing mischief by fire, for which he could be jailed for 10 years or for life.

 

[General Veers]

Man's housebreaking plan crashed and burned


Man's housebreaking plan crashed and burned
05:55 AM Feb 06, 2010
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His modus operandi was simple: Break into an apartment, steal from it, and then start a fire in the unit before escaping from the scene.

The police said on Feb 2, an HDB unit in Block 72 Geylang Baru was reported to be on fire. After the fire was put out, investigations showed the unit had been broken into and about $500 in cash had been stolen. Investigations showed there were two other similar incidents at two other units at Block 23 Bendemeer Road last December.

Through extensive ground inquiries, the suspect's identity was established and he was arrested following an ambush in Geylang early yesterday morning. Four bottles of thinner and an assortment of tools were found at his home.

The man will be charged in court on Saturday and could face up to 17 years in jail for housebreaking and committing mischief by fire.

Commenting on the case, Commander of Central Police Division HQ, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Lau Peet Meng, said: "I am glad we stopped his criminal acts before someone got seriously injured."