6 teens, including 13-year-old girl, arrested for stealing car in Sengkang for joyride

Six teenagers have been arrested for allegedly stealing a car from a car park in Sengkang and going on a joyride, Shin Min Daily News reported on Sunday (Nov 3).

The teenagers, aged between 13 and 16, consists five boys and one girl. They were arrested when they returned the car to the Sengkang multi-storey car park where they had stolen it from.

Speaking with Shin Min, car owner Huang Weilun (transliteration) shared that he had parked his car there at around 7.30pm last Tuesday (Oct 29) evening.

When he went down at 11.30pm to retrieve his camera from his vehicle, however, he was unable to find the car. They found another vehicle in that lot instead. 

The shocked Huang immediately called the police.

According to Huang, he and his wife usually unlock their car using a physical key that occasionally triggers the alarm.

To avoid this, they leave their vehicle doors unlocked and keys in the car.

Returning to the scene of the crime

As Huang spoke with police officers at the multi-storey car park, he suddenly heard the recognisable revving of his car's engine, Shin Min reported.

His vehicle was then seen driving up to the second floor of the car park, where Huang and the officers were.

The car briefly halted on the slope once in view of the officers before slowly driving forward.

Two officers then intercepted the Huang's car, instructing the teenagers to leave the vehicle.

The six teenagers were then told to sit in the corner of the car park while they awaited questioning by the police.

Explaining themselves, the teenagers claimed to be Punggol residents, alleging that they had picked up friends for a joyride after stealing Huang's vehicle.

This baffled Huang, as he wondered why the group had decided to travel to Sengkang to steal his car, the Chinese publication reported.

Noticing that the group had pulled out student cards to identify themselves, Zhou told Shin Min that he believed the teenagers were just being playful and didn't have ill intentions.

"There are no scratches on the car's body and we are lucky that they did not have an accident while driving," she added.

Knuckle duster, e-vapouriser found in possession

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police said that they were alerted to a case of motor vehicle theft on Oct 30 at Block 457 Sengkang West Road just after midnight.

"Five male teenagers, aged between 14 and 16, and a 13-year-old female teenager were arrested for theft of motor vehicle.

"A knuckle duster and e-vapouriser were also found in their possession. One of the male teenagers, aged 16, will also be assisting with investigations for possession of offensive weapon," the police said.

The e-vapouriser-related offence has been referred to the Health Sciences Authority. Investigations are ongoing.

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This article has been edited for clarity.

khooyihang@asiaone.com