Female patient, 42, steals doctor's BMW from Mount Elizabeth Hospital carpark

A female patient was arrested on Saturday (Jan 20) for allegedly stealing a car at Mount Elizabeth Hospital at Orchard Road.

The car -a BMW - reportedly belongs to a 63-year-old woman who works as an oncologist in the hospital.

She had reported that her car was stolen on Friday (Jan 19) at around 4pm.

In a statement by the police, it said that officers from the Tanglin Police Division recovered the stolen car within 30 minutes of the report.

It was found abandoned in Scotts Road, near Newton MRT Station, reported The Straits Times.

Officers were able to establish the suspect's identity with the aid of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

The patient, 42, was arrested in Holiday Inn Express Singapore Katong in East Coast Road on the following day, at around 11am.

According to The Straits Times, the doctor had driven to the Basement 2 carpark of the hospital at around 2pm on Friday.

She could not find any lots, and stopped her car at the side, and placed her car key in the vehicle before leaving.

Normally, a valet staff member would move the car away once a parking space is available.

At around 3.45pm, the doctor returned to find that her car had been stolen.

A valet service staff then told her that her car had been driven off by a woman.

It is understood that the suspect is not a patient of the victim.

If convicted of motor vehicle theft, she could face a jail term up to seven years, and a fine.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The police also advised the public to park in well-lit areas, install anti-theft alarm systems, lock the vehicle doors, and keep track of suspicious characters to prevent such crimes from happening.