Man Jailed For Stealing Copper Wires Worth Thousands From Empty JCs

By
Rae Woo
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We’ve always seen movies where the protagonists visit abandoned schools.

And it always seems creepy, for it’s dark, empty, and you never know what – or who – you’re going to see there.

Most people would probably expect to see ghosts, right?

It’s not just paranormal beings you can find there, however.

Sometimes, there are even thieves.

Man Jailed For Stealing Copper Wires Worth Thousands From Empty JCs

On 21 September, 34-year-old Bangladeshi national Jan Shak Mohabbat pleaded guilty to four charges of housebreaking, with another eight charges considered while sentencing.

Jan, along with accomplices Miah Shobus and Om Shakti Tiwari, had broken into empty junior colleges (JCs) to steal copper wires and electrical cables.

He was sentenced to two years and 10 months jail.

What Happened

They went on their first heist in mid-January this year at Jurong Junior College (JJC).

Tiwari drove the trio to the school in a rental car in the wee hours of the night.

While he kept watch in the car, Jan and Miah broke into the complex by climbing over the fence, armed with wire cutters.

After breaking the lock, the two entered JJC’s main switch room and got to snipping. They loaded their haul in Tiwari’s car later.

On 20 January, they returned for more copper wires at JJC once again.

Tiwari took the wires and cables to recycling shops to sell them, splitting the unknown amount of money between the three of them.

Second Stealing Spree

Well, it must have made them good money, for the trio devised another plan to steal more wires, but this time on the other side of the country at Tampines Junior College (TPJC).

To make it better, it was the Circuit Breaker period.

On 8 April, Tiwari drove the group there in a rental van, sticking to their usual plan.

Jan and Miah had planned out their heist well this time, having made an entrance into the school a few weeks prior.

They had cut a hole in the fence at the side of TPJC, making it easier for them to enter.

They went around the campus, cutting electrical wires wherever they could find them; from the ceiling, electrical risers, and from the air handling unit room.

Tiwari drove off with the cables in his van which came up to a whopping 994kg of electrical cables.

He later sold them for $3,976.

A week later, on 17 April, the group returned to TPJC at around 3am for more electrical wires, and got away this time with wires weighing around 773kg.

These were worth $3,478 which the three of them shared.

At this point, even the ghosts in the school would’ve been appalled.

Repair Costs Totalled Over $800,000

After stealing so many items from TPJC, the total repair costs for the damage done to the ceilings and new switchgear came up to a whopping $840,000.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that $20,000 worth of wires which totalled 1000m in length were stolen from JJC.

The extent of damages was pretty serious; and coupled with the fact that they had premeditated the heists, along with the JCs being the property of the Ministry of Education, the prosecution sought severe punishments.

Money for the repairs were from public funds as well.

Arrest

Jan, Miah and Tiwari were arrested on 23 April.

How? Apparently, Jan had left his DNA behind at JJC–his saliva on a bottle that the police found–and was identified.

Miah was identified through police cameras from HDBs, and eyewitnesses had seen Tiwari’s car parked outside the schools.

After being charged for his crimes, Jan was found with stolen copper wires yet again while out on bail, making him a reoffender.

Trials for the three of them were to take place on 20 September, but since Jan decided to plead guilty instead, Miah and Tiwari’s cases were sent back for pre-trial conferences.

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Rae Woo
Email: [email protected]