Three men charged over allegedly taking part in plan to break into warehouse to steal e-vaporisers

Source: The Straits Times
Author: Shaffiq Alkhatib

SINGAPORE - Three men allegedly took part in a plan in March to break into a Woodlands warehouse unit and steal vaping-related items, including e-vaporisers, that the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) had seized.

The trio - Elvin Suriaganandhan, 22; Chee Wai Yuen, 35 and Lim Zhi Wei, 38 - were each handed a housebreaking charge on March 28.

Details on the exact location of the warehouse cannot be disclosed due to a gag order.

On March 23, Chee, who is a Malaysian, allegedly engaged in a conspiracy with another person known only as "Ming" to commit housebreaking.

Chee is accused of conducting checks at the warehouse so that he and other alleged accomplices could enter one of the units to steal items such as e-vaporisers and other components.

In a joint statement on March 27, the police and HSA said that Chee was detained on March 23 after he was found loitering near a warehouse unit containing the seized items.

Police officers later arrested him for undisclosed drug-related offences.

The two agencies said in their statement: "Investigations revealed that the man was allegedly involved in the discussion of a plan to remove the items seized by HSA from the warehouse unit and had also obtained various equipment, including harnesses and ropes, to carry out the plan.

"The equipment were seized as case exhibits."

Three days later, Elvin and Lim, who are both Singaporeans, allegedly worked with Ming to commit a similar offence.

According to the statement, HSA alerted the police after its officers spotted the pair loitering near the warehouse unit. The two men were arrested soon after.

The agencies said: "It was established that the 38-year-old man was allegedly offered a sum of money to remove the seized items from the warehouse unit and recruited the 22-year-old man for that purpose.

Court documents did not disclose details about Ming.

For housebreaking, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.