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2 teens charged with housebreaking; investigations ongoing for thefts from rented Airbnb apartment

SINGAPORE — Two teenagers were charged with housebreaking in a district court on Thursday (March 23), and are alleged to have made away with a loot of over $2,000.

SINGAPORE — Two teenagers were charged with housebreaking in a district court on Thursday (March 23), and are alleged to have made away with a loot of over $2,000.

Muhammad Hakim Muhalil, 18, Nor Amelia Natasha Nordin, 19, had rented a room in an apartment at 34 Mount Vernon Road and on March 9, they allegedly used a stolen key to access another room in the apartment.

They are believed to have stolen S$2,025.80 worth of cash and valuables, including currencies from various countries, a laptop and a DSLR camera at around 3pm that day.

The duo are also understood to be involved in a series of thefts from apartments in which they had rented rooms via online home rental platform, Airbnb.

Police said in a press release on Wednesday that several reports have been made by victims who had rented their rooms to the pair. The victims discovered their cash, laptops and handphones - amounting to at least S$5,000 - missing after the pair left their homes.

Airbnb said it was "deeply concerned" about these incidents, adding that they have offered assitance to police and the affected hosts. The duo have also been banned from using Airbnb.

“We have zero tolerance for this sort of behaviour... The safety of the Airbnb community is the single most important thing we work on every day," the spokesman said. 

The teens were arrested in the vicinity of Jalan Teck Kee in Serangoon on Tuesday.

Appearing in court on Thursday, Hakim sported green hair while Amelia donned a blue shower cap. Both were unrepresented.

No plea was taken, and the pair will remain in remand for a week as investigations continue.

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