FOR over a week, he plagued car owners in Sengkang, smashing the windows and windscreens of their cars and chalking up thousands of dollars in repairs for them.

His aim? To get the CashCards and other valuables left in the cars parked in various housing estates in Sengkang. The 26-year-old's crime spree came to an end when officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division ambushed him at his rental flat in the same area and arrested him on Monday.

A police spokesman said the suspect was believed to be involved in over 40 thefts from cars in just 10 days between Jan 3 and Jan 12.

Although they managed to establish his identity soon after the thefts through interviews and investigations, it was difficult to nab the suspect.

"Efforts to apprehend the suspect proved difficult as he had no fixed place of abode," he said.

The suspect was caught eventually and police seized nearly $1,900 in cash, 18 CashCards, five mobile phones and a digital camera from him.

Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division Lee Chin Ek urged vehicle owners to remove their CashCards and install an alarm system to prevent such thefts.

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