2 charged with thefts of Budget grocery vouchers from HDB letterboxes

A man and a woman linked to a series of thefts of Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers from Housing Board letterboxes across Singapore were charged in court yesterday.

Miqheul Wahyudean Abdullah, 24, was charged with three counts of theft, while Irwani Nur Amira Azami, 23, was charged with two counts of theft.

They were arrested on Wednesday.

They had allegedly worked together some time between 8pm on Oct 6 and 3.30am on Oct 7 to prise open two letterboxes at Block 872, Tampines Street 86, and steal 15 grocery vouchers valued at $10 each.

Miqheul, who had allegedly stolen vouchers at the same location on a separate occasion, was charged with an additional count of theft.

The pair are expected to be back in court on Nov 6, as investigations are ongoing.

If convicted of theft, the offender may be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.

Separately, the police also arrested five others - three men and two women - for their suspected involvement in the theft of grocery vouchers at other locations across Singapore.

Among them was a 37-year-old woman who was caught on Sunday for allegedly stealing the vouchers at a residential block in Lorong 7 Toa Payoh.

On Wednesday, a 41-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman were arrested at a residential block in Marsiling Road for the alleged voucher thefts.

Two 54-year-old men were nabbed in separate cases on Thursday for allegedly stealing vouchers at housing blocks in Telok Blangah Rise and in Holland Close.

In a statement on Thursday, the Singapore Police Force said these theft cases are "likely unrelated and opportunistic in nature".

The police have also received reports of similar incidents in other residential estates and said they are "intensifying our efforts with a view to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice".

Members of the public who are eligible for the Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers are advised to collect them from their letterbox as soon as possible, and keep their letterbox secured at all times.

Those who suspect their vouchers have been stolen should make a police report immediately and call the Grocery Voucher hotline on 1800-2222-888 to request that their vouchers be voided and replaced.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 17, 2020, with the headline 2 charged with thefts of Budget grocery vouchers from HDB letterboxes. Subscribe