Thief stole luxury watches and cash from unlocked cars in Suntec City

SINGAPORE — Car owners who left their doors unlocked at the Suntec City carpark saw various items including luxury watches and more than $25,000 in cash stolen.

The thief, Mohamed Rasid Mohd Ali, 56, was sentenced to 26 months' jail on Wednesday (Nov 27), after he pleaded guilty to three theft charges.

State Prosecuting Officer Ting Nge Kong said one of the victims — a 40-year-old Singaporean — had parked his Porsche in the basement one carpark at about 3.30pm on May 13, 2024.

Rasid, who had gone there intending to steal from unlocked vehicles, noticed that the Porsche was not locked.

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He entered the car via the driver's door and stole various items from the front centre compartment, including two wallets containing $1,000 in cash in total and an Audemars Piguet watch valued at $30,000.

The driver returned to his car at about 5.15pm and discovered that the items were missing. He lodged a police report three days later.

Rasid was back at the carpark on Aug 29 to steal from unlocked cars, and some time between 11am and 2.30pm, he noticed another unlocked Porsche at basement two.

He entered the car and stole a Rolex worth $14,000 that was left in the cupholder.

The driver returned to the car at about 9pm and drove off hurriedly, as he was late for a dinner appointment.

He noticed that his watch was missing but did not think much about it as he thought he could have left it at home.

At about 9.50pm on the same day, Rasid found another unlocked car and stole $19,328 in cash from a Cartier bag left at the rear seat and $6,000 in cash that was in the front centre compartment.

He went to a jewellery shop and used a portion of the cash to buy a bracelet valued at $10,350.

The owner of the cash called the police on the same day it was stolen, while the owner of the Rolex, who could not find it at home, made a police report on Sept 8.

The police subsequently established Rasid's identity and arrested him on Sept 19.

The Rolex and Audemars Piguet watches were recovered from his home following a raid, while the rest of the items including the cash and bracelet were not.

Rasid claimed that he had sold the bracelet to an unidentified person in Batam, and that he spent the proceeds as well as the rest of the cash.

For each charge of theft, Rasid, who has a history of committing theft, could have been jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. 

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