08-08-2025
Ex-convict on parole steals from customers, hides cash in dry riser
A former inmate out on parole has been sentenced to one year and 45 days' jail after stealing from customers while working as a mover - and hiding the stolen cash in a dry riser pipe.
The 28-year-old man, Ho Wen Zong (transliterated), pleaded guilty on Aug 6 to one count of theft and another under the Computer Misuse Act.
At the time of the incident, Ho was on parole from Jan 23 to May 12, 2024.
Stole while on the job
On April 17, 2024 at about 1.15pm, Ho was moving items with three colleagues when he entered a 56-year-old customer's bedroom and spotted a handbag atop a drawer. While she was distracted, he took her wallet and pocketed the cash inside.
He then returned the wallet to its original spot and proceeded to her mother's room, where he stole a second wallet from a handbag on the doorknob. He took the cash and hid the wallet in a cupboard.
In total, he made off with RM195 (S$59) and S$157. To avoid detection, he concealed the money inside a dry riser pipe outside the home.
The theft came to light when the customer noticed the missing money while buying drinks for the movers.
She questioned the workers, but no one admitted to the crime, leading her to call the police. Officers later recovered the stolen cash from the dry riser and arrested Ho.
He later admitted to the court that he had racked up about $7,000 in debts from three licensed moneylenders due to a gambling habit, and committed the thefts because his salary was not enough to cover repayments.
Sold Singpass details for $8,000
In a separate incident, Ho confessed to selling his Singpass credentials for $8,000 to an unknown individual, who used them to open a cryptocurrency trading account. Although Ho suspected something was amiss, he agreed as he needed the money urgently.
His details were later linked to a bank account that received over $90,000 in transactions within a month. When the account was frozen, only $31 remained.
Defendant requests delaying of sentence
The prosecutor noted that although Ho had previously served four months in jail for a similar theft in 2023, the amount involved in the current case was smaller, so no heavier sentence was sought.
Ho requested a deferment of his sentence to settle personal matters. The judge asked his father - who stood as bailor - if he was willing to post $15,000 bail.
The judge also questioned Ho's father about his son's earlier claims that he was seriously ill and preparing to marry a foreign fiancée.
His father denied both these claims.
"He's already so big, and we don't know what he gets up to when he's not at home," the father said, but agreed to remain as Ho's bailor.
The judge ultimately granted the request, and Ho will begin serving his sentence on Sept 1.
