Police nab couple for stealing CashCards from over 20 vehicles

SINGAPORE - A couple have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a series of thefts from vehicles.

The 37-year-old man and 48-year-old woman were nabbed at about 9pm on Friday on suspicion of smashing vehicles' front windscreens to steal CashCards from the in-vehicle units (IUs).

Preliminary investigations revealed that they could have been responsible for more than 20 such offences at housing estates in Jalan Sultan, Jalan Bukit Merah, Telok Blangah, Kim Tian Place and Rochor.

The CashCards had values ranging from $9 to about $100.

If found guilty the couple could be fined, jailed for up to three years, or both.

Police said in a statement that they had received several reports from motorists in the past week saying that their cars had been targeted.

Officers from the Central Police Division scoured closed-circuit television camera footage and made extensive ground inquiries to establish the suspects' identities.

They were arrested in the vicinity of Spooner Road in Bukit Merah, and a total of $190 cash as well as a motorised bicycle were seized from them.

Commander of Central Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Daniel Tan, advised vehicle owners not to use IU covers which may give a false sense of security.

He said: "Thieves would assume that there is a CashCard beneath the IU cover."

This article was published on April 13 in The Straits Times.

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