Former NSF cop jailed for stealing station inspector's AirPods
A full-time national serviceman (NSF) with the Singapore Police Force was at work at one of its bases in Ulu Pandan Road when he stole a pair of AirPods worth $300 from his superior.
Muhammad Syafiq Sreyandi Mohd Faizal, 24, who completed his national service in October 2024, pleaded guilty to a theft charge and was sentenced to a week in jail on April 28.
A second theft charge was considered during his sentencing.
State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) A Majeed Yosuff told the court that Syafiq was a corporal when he worked as a staff assistant at the Support and Technical Branch office of the Protective Security Command base.
He was at the office on Aug 6, 2024 when he spotted an AirPod set belonging to a 37-year-old station inspector who had stepped out earlier.
Syafiq took the set, slipped it in his bag and left the base at around 6pm.
The station inspector returned to his workstation about 15 minutes later and found his AirPods missing.
SPO A Majeed said: "He activated the AirPod's tracking function, and realised that the (device) was moving along Lornie Road.
"At about 7.24pm, (the station inspector) was informed via the AirPod's tracking function that the AirPod was left at (a Sin Ming Avenue block of flats)."
The station inspector found out that Syafiq was staying in the Sin Ming area and alerted the latter's supervisor - a senior staff sergeant.
The station inspector was at work at the base at around 9am the next day when he re-activated the AirPod's tracking device and found that the set was in the Support and Technical Branch office.
The senior staff sergeant and the station inspector searched the office together and found the AirPods in Syafiq's bag.
The senior staff sergeant later spoke to Syafiq who came clean about what he had done and handed the AirPods to his supervisor.
SPO A Majeed said: "The accused had stolen the AirPods as his earphones were faulty, and he did not have enough money to buy a new pair. He had wanted to use the AirPods to listen to music."
On April 28, Syafiq, who was not represented by a lawyer, told the court that he is now jobless and is undergoing a "crane course".
He pleaded for a second chance and asked to be given a warning.
For theft, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
19 hours ago
- AsiaOne
From cash and gold to leaves: 3 women, 1 man charged over suspected involvement in spiritual 'blessing' scams, Singapore News
Three women and one man aged between 47 and 61 were arrested and charged on suspicion of involvement in multiple spiritual 'blessing' scams. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a press release on Friday (June 6) that they had received a report three days prior from a woman who was allegedly cheated by the three others in Chinatown. "The first woman had initially approached the victim seeking directions to a Chinese physician. A second woman then intervened, claiming knowledge of a suitable physician but explained that consultations could only occur outside the premises due to overcrowding," the release stated. This second woman wanted the victim to pose as her relative, and the trio went to meet the third woman, who claimed to be a Chinese physician and told the victim she was "experiencing misfortune due to negative spiritual elements". "The three woman and the victim then arranged to meet at Hong Lim Park and the victim was convinced to surrender $700 in cash and a gold necklace with a Guan Yin pendant to the 'Chinese physician', who then placed the items in a black plastic bag and performed a purported blessing ritual," the release read. She was instructed to leave the bag unopened for a month underneath her bed, but examined it the next day and discovered her possessions had been replaced by leaves. A similar incident occurred on June 4, where another victim was approached by two women in Clementi. Upon noticing she had cash in her bag, the women convinced her to place her belongings, amounting to $700, into a black trash bag for safekeeping. However, the victim later discovered that her money had gone missing. SPF conducted ground investigations and utilised CCTV footage to establish the identities of the three woman and another man believed to be working with them. They were arrested on June 5, and cash amounting to S$1,311 and 10,050 yuan (S$1,800) was seized from them as case exhibits. The four were charged on Friday for conspiracy to cheat under Section 420 and Section 109 of the Penal Code 1871, with the offence carrying a prison term of up to 10 years and a fine. "The police would like to remind members of the public to be wary of strangers who claim to provide spiritual help or blessing services. No legitimate religious practitioner will ask for your money or valuables to be surrendered for any blessing ritual," the press release read. "Members of the public should be vigilant and alert their elderly family members about such scams. "If approached by someone claiming you have bad luck or need spiritual cleansing, do not engage with them and call the police immediately." Members of the public with information on such scams can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at For more information on scams, they can visit or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799. [[nid:718792]] drimac@
International Business Times
2 days ago
- International Business Times
Man, 28, to be Charged for Alleged Involvement in Multiple Cheating Cases in Singapore
A 28-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday, June 4, for his suspected involvement in a series of cheating cases in Singapore. The Singapore Police Force said in a press release that they received a report on May 31 May from a victim stating that a man had contacted him to purchase a gold necklace from his jewelry shop but failed to make payment upon delivery. The man gave the victim a screenshot of a supposedly successful payment, prompting the shop owner to deliver the gold jewelry to him via courier services. The victim finally realized he had been duped when he checked his company's bank account and noticed that he had not received paid for the transaction. SPF said, "Investigations revealed that the man is also believed to be involved in several e-commerce scams where victims had made payments amounting to more than S$11,600 for items listed on Carousell but did not receive the items after payment was made." "Through follow-up investigations, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him on June 3. The man will be charged in court on June 5 June with cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871. The offence of cheating carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine," the statement added. The police take serious action against anyone who may be involved in scams or fraudulent activities. Offenders will face serious consequences in accordance with the law. Members of the public are reminded to exercise caution while making online purchases and to carefully verify payment transactions before handing over any merchandise. Before distributing their goods, business owners should verify that payments have been correctly credited to their bank accounts.
AsiaOne
3 days ago
- AsiaOne
Over 1,800 arrested in cross-border anti-scam ops with loses amounting to $289m, Singapore News
Over 1,800 suspects were arrested by law enforcement agencies in seven Asian territories including Singapore in a month-long crackdown on scams. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a press release on Wednesday (June 4) that it had collaborated with anti-scam teams from Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, the Maldives, Thailand and Macao for the operation conducted between April 28 and May 28. Across the territories, 33,900 people aged between 14 and 81 were investigated for their suspected involvement in scam activities. SPF said they are believed to be involved in more than 9,200 scam cases, with victims reportedly losing over $289 million in total. More than 32,600 bank accounts suspected to be linked to scams were also detected and frozen by the seven law enforcement agencies, with more than $26.2 million seized. 106 arrested in Singapore In Singapore, 545 people were investigated during the operation, and another 106 people were arrested. They were involved in more than 1,300 local scam cases which resulted in losses of approximately $39.3 million, according to SPF. The police here also seized more than $7.69 million in 714 frozen bank accounts. At the start of the operation in end-April, SPF's Anti-Scam Centre foiled two separate cases of Chinese services impersonation scams with assistance from Malaysia's National Scam Response Centre. The two victims transferred $25,000 and $45,000 respectively to Singapore bank accounts provided by the scammer, before realising they had fallen for a scam. SPF said its Anti-Scam Centre analysed the funds trail and found that part of their funds had been transferred to bank accounts in Malaysia on the same day the victims performed their transaction. With help from Malaysia's National Scam Response Centre, more than $19,000 in total was successfully recovered in the bank accounts in Malaysia. "A transnational threat requires a transnational response. No single jurisdiction has an adequate answer to this scourge, but we are collectively stronger together," said David Chew, director of SPF's Commercial Affairs Department. "By combining our resources and enforcement capabilities, we are creating a united front against scam. We will continue strengthening these international partnerships to ensure our citizens are safe from scams and scammers have no safe haven." [[nid:718598]]
