Man Steals Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers & Burns Some Of Them As Offerings For Late Wife
Last October, the government distributed Budget 2020 grocery vouchers to help less well-off families with household expenses in the midst of the pandemic.
However, a series of thefts of the grocery vouchers followed.
7 Arrested For Stealing Grocery Vouchers, Residents Advised To Collect Them ASAP
One of the culprits was a man who stole about 60 vouchers from HDB blocks at Marine Terrace.
On Thursday (7 Jan), the 47-year-old man was sentenced to 4 weeks’ jail for his crime.
Man steals grocery vouchers from letterboxes
Back in Oct 2020, the unemployed man first learnt about the grocery vouchers via social media.
Not all Singaporeans would be eligible to receive them, however. The vouchers were meant for needy adult citizens who live in 1-room and 2-room HDB flats, and who only owns 1 property.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the man got upset when he checked his letterbox and did not find the vouchers.
He later decided to check other letterboxes – mostly targeting unsecured or damaged ones – at Block 51 Marine Terrace for them.
CNA reported that he grew indignant after seeing others received their vouchers.
Seeing that some letterboxes were not secured, the 47-year-old took the chance and stole vouchers from 4 households.
The vouchers were worth $150 per household, totalling up to $600 of stolen vouchers.
Just a few days later, he received his own vouchers.
Man burns unused grocery vouchers as offering to late wife
Using the stolen vouchers, the man bought 2 packs of chicken franks and a vacuum from NTUC FairPrice and Giant.
He then burnt the remaining vouchers as offerings to his late wife, reported CNA.
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But his crime soon caught up with him.
Police were alerted to the theft of grocery vouchers when the opened letterboxes were discovered.
Upon review of the CCTV footage, the 47-year-old man was later caught red-handed.
Police arrested him on 29 Oct 2020 and seized the items bought using the vouchers.
Sentenced to 4 weeks’ jail
On Thursday (7 Jan), the man was sentenced to 4 weeks’ jail.
According to TODAY Online, the court took into consideration that he had previous records of cheating and extortion.
To add on, the vouchers were meant to aid the less fortunate and his crimes had caused harm not only to individuals but also the government.
The 47-year-old acknowledged his mistake.
He requested to serve his sentence after Chinese New Year so he could make arrangements to ensure his 17-year-old daughter was taken care of.
His jail term was then deferred to 15 Feb.
Weigh the consequences before taking action
The man may have felt compelled to steal vouchers because of his initial feelings of unfairness. But no matter the reason, stealing is a crime.
His actions have also impacted those within our community who are in need of the vouchers.
We hope he learns from this incident and will carefully deliberate his actions in the future instead of making rash decisions.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and Wikimedia Commons.
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