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Mastermind of S$119,000 Ang Mo Kio jewellery robbery gets jail, 6 strokes of the cane

SINGAPORE — A 28-year-old former Gojek driver, who orchestrated and pulled off a robbery of more than S$100,000 worth of jewellery from an Ang Mo Kio shop last year, was sentenced to jail and caning on Thursday (Nov 12).

Hock Cheong Jade & Jewellery Shop in Ang Mo Kio was robbed on Aug 14 last year.

Hock Cheong Jade & Jewellery Shop in Ang Mo Kio was robbed on Aug 14 last year.

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SINGAPORE — A 28-year-old former Gojek driver, who orchestrated and pulled off a robbery of more than S$100,000 worth of jewellery from an Ang Mo Kio shop last year, was sentenced to jail and caning on Thursday (Nov 12).

M Jegatheesh received three years and three months’ jail and six strokes of the cane.

One of his accomplices, 31-year-old Sharavindran Suppiah, pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery, as well as for separately masterminding a plan to steal and forge cheques from families living in the Serangoon Garden area. 

Sharavindran will be sentenced on Friday.

Armed robbery carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and at least six strokes of the cane.

On the first day of their trial, both men admitted to one count of conspiring with Veeramani Subran Das, a 37-year-old former Grab driver, to rob the elderly owners of Hock Cheong Jade & Jewellery Shop.

Veeramani, the getaway driver, was sentenced to three years’ jail and six strokes of the cane last week.

The trio made off with S$119,288 in jewellery which included gold necklaces, bracelets and pendants.

WHAT HAPPENED

The court heard that the three men met at Geylang Lorong 30 on Aug 13 last year. Jegatheesh told the others that he intended to rob the shop the next afternoon, thinking that it looked old and would not have any alarms installed. He also thought the owners would not resist as they were elderly.

Two brothers, now aged 70 and 75, owned the shop at Block 574, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10.

The next afternoon, the three men drove over in two cars. 

Jegatheesh chose car parks that did not have electronic gantries to make it harder for authorities to track their cars.

When Jegatheesh entered the shop with a black duffel bag, he tried to pull down the roller shutter at the entrance but it got stuck. He gave up and shouted at the two owners: “Don’t move, don’t talk!”

They pressed pre-installed hidden alarm buttons to notify a security company.

Jegatheesh found the keys for jewellery display cabinets hanging behind a cabinet door. He then unlocked the drawers and swept the jewellery into his duffel bag.

The two owners shouted for help and a passer-by who heard them called the police. Jegatheesh then jumped over the counter and fled.

Veeramani picked him up and left in his own Toyota with the jewellery, while Jegatheesh fled in his rented Honda Civic.

Later that day, Sharavindran tried to sell the jewellery but was unsuccessful.

On Jegatheesh’s instructions, he hid the loot in a unit at an abandoned block of flats at Dakota Crescent.

On Aug 16 last year, police officers raided Veeramani’s home and he threw three pieces of jewellery he had previously taken out the window. The police have since recovered all of the stolen items.  

Related topics

court crime robbery jewellery

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