A SERIAL burglar was arrested thanks to a vigilant and
quick-thinking neighbour.
On 12 December 2010 at about 3.35pm, Madam Lim, a resident of
Blk 409 Clementi Ave 1, heard some noises coming from outside her
neighbour's unit. Looking through the peep hole of her door, she
noticed a man trying to pry open the sliding window pane of her
neighbour's unit.
Seeing this, Madam Lim opened her main door and shouted at him,
causing him to flee. Madam Lim then immediately alerted her
neighbour who called '999' and reported the matter to the
Police.
A search was conducted by officers from the Clementi Police
Division. A man fitting the suspect's description given by Madam
Lim and her neighbour was spotted along Commonwealth Avenue West at
about 5.45pm. Upon seeing the officers, the man attempted to flee
but was arrested at Blk 329 Clementi Avenue 2 after a short
chase.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had not
only attempted to break into the neighbour's home earlier, but had
also successfully broken into another unit at Blk 364 Clementi
Avenue 2 earlier the same day.
Stolen items worth about $6,000 were recovered and seized
together with a sling bag containing four screwdrivers believed to
have been used in the commission of the offence.
The suspect is also believed to be involved in at least six
other break-ins at Clementi Housing Estate.
The 47-year-old suspect will be charged in court for
Housebreaking by Day, which carries an imprisonment term of up to
10 years.
