Man Steals Money Twice From Mosque Donation Box, Gets 6 Months’ Jail
Back in Sep 2022, a man sought financial aid from a mosque and was given S$50.
However, he later broke into the mosque and stole money from them twice.
Source: Google Maps
On Tuesday (7 Mar), 42-year-old Mohammad Razali Rahmat pleaded guilty to charges of housebreaking and criminal trespass to commit theft.
He was sentenced to six months in jail. Another four charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Steals money after familiarising himself with mosque
On 16 Sep 2022, Razali went to Al-Huda mosque at 34 Jalan Haji Alias seeking financial aid.
Out of goodwill, staff at the mosque gave him S$50. They also encouraged him to volunteer at the mosque to receive more financial help.
While he was there, Razali helped employees count money in the donation box.
He also managed to familiarise himself with the mosque’s layout.
The next day at 9.30pm, Razali took a cab back to the mosque, scaled the perimeter wall, and entered the compound.
Between then and 6.30am the following day, he used a pair of scissors and pried the donation box open.
According to CNA, he took S$120 in cash and went on to use it for his own expenses.
That same day on 18 Sep, a mosque employee noticed that money was missing from the donation box and lodged a police report.
Caught on CCTV stealing for the second time
Months later, in the early hours of 5 Dec 2022, Razali once again returned to the mosque via taxi, climbed over the wall, and pried the donation box open.
This time, he stole S$50 in loose notes from the box.
Following that, he went to North Bridge Road and exchanged the money for a single S$50 note. It was noted in court that he intended to deposit the S$50 into his account.
Later that day, the mosque’s administration manager noticed that the donation box was unlocked.
Upon closer inspection, he found that the keyhole was tampered with and that the money had gone missing again.
Reviewing the CCTV footage, he saw Razali climbing over the mosque wall at about 12.38am that day.
Razali was also caught on camera fiddling with the donation box and leaving about 10 minutes after.
He was arrested on the same day and the S$50 was seized from him.
Sentenced to 6 months’ jail
In court, Razali pleaded guilty to one charge each of housebreaking and criminal trespass to commit theft.
For criminal trespass to commit theft, he faced up to three months’ jail, a fine of up to S$1,500, or both.
The offence of housebreaking to commit theft carries a sentence of up to 10 years’ jail and a fine.
On 7 Mar, he was sentenced to six months’ jail. Another four charges were taken into consideration.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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