Ah, the things you do for love. A man who needed some fast money to marry his girlfriend in China went to great criminal lengths to do so — by breaking into a designer goods store and pilfering branded items to fund the wedding.
Saw Yan Naing has since been sentenced to jail for two years and three months after he pleaded guilty to breaking into HoBZ House of Brandz on Dec 30 last year, when he stole four Hermes bags and a Rolex watch. His loot amounted S$82,800 (US$60,936) in total, The Straits Times reported.
It was revealed that the 30-year-old had planned the burglary a day before he did it, intending to sell off the products for money to fund his wedding. Already familiar with the layout of The Arcade shopping centre in Collyer Quay, he knew that a section of the building would be less secured due to construction works that were going on at the time.
On the day of the robbery, he put on a disguise that consisted of a wig, a fake moustache and a cap. Even while making his way to The Arcade, he wore a surgical mask and a pair of gloves.
Around 11:10pm on Dec 29, he entered the building through one of the entrances that was undergoing construction work, and hid for about three hours before entering the store from the ceiling. Saw even disabled the store’s security alarm and turned off the CCTV before his looting spree. After fleeing through the same hole in the ceiling, he flew to China with his stolen items five hours later.
There, he managed to sell off some of the goods and gave the rest to his girlfriend. The most important question went unanswered in reports — we still don’t know if he managed to marry her after going through all that trouble.
Saw was arrested when he returned to Singapore on Jan 12 — the cops managed to establish his identity and nabbed him at Changi Airport Terminal 1.
In court, it was revealed that full restitution has since been made, and that the convict regrets his actions.
