Police have arrested two brothers, aged 21 and 26 years old, for a spate of theft cases involving motor vehicles, following a tip-off from a member of public.

Since late December 2009, several cases of theft from vehicles, where cashcards were stolen from the vehicle IU units, were reported in the vicinity of Woodlands Housing Estate. Police studied the crime trends and mounted several ambushes but the suspects remained elusive despite efforts to apprehend them. The breakthrough came on 25 January 2010 at about 2 am, when a vigilant resident of Woodlands Drive 14 notified the Police after she spotted two men loitering suspiciously at the multi-storey carpark of Blk 536A Woodlands Drive 14.

Officers from Woodlands Neighbourhood Police Centre responded swiftly and managed to detain the two suspects before they could leave the said carpark. Upon a search, 15 cash cards and a bunch of motor-vehicle ignition keys were found in their possession. Preliminary investigations revealed that the culprits had also stolen a lorry from the carpark of Blk 690 Woodlands earlier that night which was successfully recovered at the scene. Both suspects are believed to be involved in other cases of theft of motor-vehicles as well.

The two suspects will be charged in Court 26 on 26 January 2010 for an offence of Theft of Motor lorry with Common Intention under Section 379A read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 which carries an imprisonment for a term of not more than 7 years.

Commander of Jurong Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Cheang Keng Keong, would like to commend the member of public for her vigilance and valuable assistance in solving the case. DAC Cheang also said, "Everybody has a part to play in maintaining the safety and security of our neighbourhood. This case reinforces the fact that a strong community-Police partnership is crucial in the fight against crime."