Two men arrested for allegedly breaking into Balestier temple, stealing cash from donation boxes

SINGAPORE – Two men were arrested on Aug 16 after they allegedly broke into a temple in Balestier in April and stole cash from donation boxes.

The police said that they were alerted to a case of housebreaking and theft at a temple in Tai Gin Road at about 12.30am on April 2.

Cash of about $300 to $400 was stolen from the premises.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the men, two Chinese nationals aged 43 and 50, had used a card affixed with adhesive tape to remove cash from the temple’s donation boxes.

Police officers were able to identify them through the help of closed-circuit television images.

The two men had left Singapore on the same day of the offence, police said.

They were arrested on Aug 16 when they returned to Singapore.

Investigations found that the stolen cash had allegedly been used by them.

The police said that the two men are expected to be charged on Aug 18 with housebreaking and theft with common intention.

If convicted, they could face up to 10 years’ jail and a fine.

In their statement, the police also advised property owners to adopt crime prevention measures, like using good quality locks and installing a burglar alarm. They should also not keep large amounts of cash or valuables on their premises.