3 men charged with stealing from donation boxes at a church

SINGAPORE - Three men were charged on Saturday (Sept 9) with stealing from donation boxes at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Chinese nationals Zou Fangshou, 32, Qin Xiaonuo, 29, and Qin Chaoban, 38, are accused of taking an unknown amount of cash from the donation boxes at the Catholic church in Upper Serangoon Road on Sept 8 between 10am and 1pm.

The police had received a report that day at around 1.30pm that three men were behaving suspiciously in the church compound.

They were identified with the help of security camera footage and arrested in Syed Alwi Road.

The police's preliminary investigations suggest that the trio, who have been remanded, were involved in similar theft cases.

Their cases are expected to be heard on Sept 15. If convicted, they can each be jailed for up to seven years and fined.

Separately, The Straits Times had earlier reported that a Taoist temple in Changi Road will change the locks on its doors after money was stolen from donation boxes by two thieves last Saturday.

Closed-circuit television footage taken at Hoon Sian Keng temple showed two men picking the locks of its doors at 1.50am. The temple was closed at the time.

They allegedly slid a long stick with double-sided tape into two boxes and moved it several times before retrieving the cash stuck to the tool.

The police are investigating.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

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