SINGAPORE - A man who is accused of stealing vitamins from a Watsons claimed that the staff were hallucinating. Maniram Kese Sunar, 50, faces one charge for theft and another for skipping bail. He is alleged to have stolen two bottles of multivitamins from Watsons in Tampines Mall on the evening of June 15 last year. The bottles, one for men and the other for women, were worth about $46 each. He is also accused of failing to report for bail in July last year. On Tuesday (April 13), Maniram appeared in court and began addressing the judge while another case was ongoing, saying he was late for his hearing because he was lost. He only quietened down after the court officers told him to take a seat. When his case was heard, Maniram denied stealing the vitamins. "The staff of Watsons are under a lot of stress. I think they were hallucinating. I don't remember taking the items," he said. "I am a true blue Singaporean, I speak the four languages here, I will not do something like that." He also repeatedly asked for security camera footage from the Watsons outlet to be played. District Judge Kessler Soh noted that he was not pleading guilty. Maniram is expected to be back in court on April 21 to face trial. He is currently out on bail for $2,000. For theft, he may be jailed for up to three years, or fined, or both. More on this topic Related Story Jail for mother-and-daughter pair who went on shoplifting spree Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories
SINGAPORE - A man and woman linked to a series of thefts of Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers from HDB letterboxes across Singapore have been charged in court. Miqheul Wahyudean Abdullah, 24, was charged with three counts of theft, while Irwani Nur Amira Azami, 23, was charged with two counts of theft. Miqheul and Irwani were arrested on Wednesday (Oct 14) for allegedly stealing Budget vouchers from HDB letterboxes. They had allegedly worked together sometime between 8pm on Oct 6 and 3.30am on Oct 7 to pry open letterboxes at Block 872 Tampines Street 86. The duo stand accused of stealing 15 grocery vouchers valued at $10 each from the letterboxes of two victims. The total amount allegedly stolen totalled $300. Miqheul had allegedly stolen vouchers at the same location on a separate occasion, and was charged for an additional count of theft. The duo are set to appear in court again on Nov 6, as investigations into their case are still ongoing. If convicted of theft, an offender may be jailed 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 these grocery vouchers at other locations across Singapore. A 37-year-old woman, was previously reported to have been apprehended on Sunday for allegedly stealing Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers at a residential block in Toa Payoh Lorong 7. Also arrested were a 41-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman on Wednesday for the alleged theft of the vouchers at a residential block in Marsiling Road. More on this topic Related Story 7 arrested for alleged theft of Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers from HDB letterboxes across Singapore Related Story More letterboxes tampered with, grocery vouchers for lower-income S'poreans allegedly stolen Related Story Five 18-year-old youths arrested for theft, vandalism of letterboxes in Singapore On Thursday, two 54-year-old men were arrested in separate cases for allegedly stealing vouchers at flats in Telok Blangah Rise and Holland Close. Police investigations into these cases are ongoing, but in a statement on Thursday, the Singapore Police Force said that 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". More on this topic Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories 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 for their vouchers to be voided and replaced. Voided vouchers cannot be redeemed.