Thieves Steal Thousands From Changi Road Temple Using Double-Sided Tape, Flee After Being Spotted
Two thieves broke into Hoon Sian Keng Temple on Changi Road in the early hours of Saturday (2 Sep), allegedly stealing thousands in donation money.
The theft took place at 1.50am, with the thieves picking the lock on the temple door.
CCTV footage caught the thieves using double-sided tape to steal cash from the mouths of the locked boxes.
One of the temple staff spotted the perpetrators, who then quickly fled.
Thieves use double-sided tape to steal temple donations
Shin Min Daily News reported that the theft took place at Hoon Sian Keng Temple on 2 Sep.
According to the temple, the staff left the temple for supper and locked the doors. They left the lights switched on.
The two thieves soon entered through the temple’s back doors at 1.50am, picking the locks, The Straits Times (ST) reported.
CCTV footage captured the two masked men approaching the heavy 200kg safes used to store donation money.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
Instead of finding a way through the locks, the thieves used double-sided tape on a fishing line, according to Shin Min.
Inserting the tape through the small mouth of the safe, the notes stuck onto the tape, which was then pulled out. The thief skillfully used this method to extract a substantial amount of cash, which the temple could not ascertain.
Thieves fled after being spotted
When the temple staff returned, a female committee member spotted the thieves, who immediately fled. The temple then contacted police at 2.20am.
Source: Hoon Sian Keng Temple via Straits Times
The temple said that they would replace the aluminium back doors with iron ones to prevent further thefts.
The female committee member expressed much emotional pain at the theft of the donations of the temple’s worshippers.
MS News hopes the temple can retrieve its stolen money.
Earlier this year, the court sentenced two other temple thieves to 3 months’ jail.
In that case, the men also used double-sided tape to “fish” the money from the donation boxes.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and the Straits Times.
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