3 arrested for stealing gold bars from jewellery shop

SINGAPORE - Police have arrested three men, aged 19, 22 and 29, who are believed to be in connection to a theft case, where gold bars were stolen from a goldsmith shop.

Police said they received a call on July 4 from a goldsmith shop located in Yishun Central. The caller told the police that an unknown man had made off with several gold bars belonging to the shop.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had entered the shop at 2.15pm, enquiring about the sale of gold bars, on the pretext of buying.

The staff took out four pieces of gold bars worth almost $15,000 and placed them on a tray in front of the suspect, who then picked the bars up to examine them closely and even asked the staff for a calculator.

When the staff was not paying attention, the suspect grabbed the gold bars and ran out of the shop. Other staff members tried to give chase, but lost sight of the suspect.

Through CCTV footages, the image of the suspect was obtained, but his identity remained unknown.

However, police officers conducted ground enquiries and investigations, which established the identity of the suspect, as well as two others who might have been involved.

The suspect was arrested at a rental unit in Redhill Close at 11.30am today. The other two suspects were also within the unit and were arrested.

They are believed to be involved in the hatching of teh plan as well as the disposal of the stolen gold bars.

Police said efforts are ongoing to recover the gold bars.

The suspects will be charged in court tomorrow. The 19 and 22-year-old suspects will be charged for theft and if found guilty, they face a jail term of up to seven years and also a fine, while the 29-year-old suspect will be charged for assisting in concealment or disposal of stolen property.

If found guilty, he may be jailed up to five years and fined.

klim@sph.com.sg