Man is accused of stealing $6,000 worth of jewelry from his roommate, says it was his ex-girlfriend’s keepsake

SINGAPORE: A woman complained to her landlord that three pieces of her jewelry amounting to more than $6,000 had been stolen. Investigations revealed that her roommate stole these pieces and pawned them. However, the roommate denied the accusations and even declared that the jewelry belonged to his deceased ex-girlfriend. 

The 49-year-old suspect was reported stealing jewelry from his Chinese woman roommate in a rented unit in Bedok North. The stolen items included a Tiffany & Co necklace worth approximately $4,600, a gold necklace worth more than $300, and a gold bracelet worth more than $1,300. 

According to case details, the suspect and the woman were living together in the unit when the accident occurred. Initially, the suspect pleaded not guilty because his lawyer had photos of his deceased girlfriend to prove that she had worn the jewelry, while the woman had no stronger evidence to prove that the pieces were hers. 

However, the prosecution revealed that the suspect’s statements changed repeatedly all throughout the case. At first, he denied pawning the jewelry and that it belonged to his deceased ex-girlfriend. However, his next alibi stated that the woman’s boyfriend sold the jewelry to him for $2,000. Moreover, according to pawnshop records, the suspect claimed that he bought the jewelry himself.

Additionally, the prosecution argued that the suspect never mentioned that it was left by his deceased ex-girlfriend during his statement. With this, the judge needed time to consider the case and the verdict was adjourned to January 22. 

In similar news, it was recently reported that a 33-year-old man repeatedly stole jewellery from his wife’s family and pawned it to earn money amounting to more than $5,000. He then framed a former colleague about his crime and lied to the police. 

The suspect, who works as a senior engineer, faces three charges, which include cheating and theft. He pleaded guilty to both crimes, while the judge will take the third charge into consideration. 

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