By Elena Chong

A MAN caught trying to steal a dog was later found to have refunded cash from 27 CashCards into his savings account.

When questioned, Cheong Whye Yong, 36, claimed that the CashCards belonged to unknown friends he met on the streets. But he could not give police their particulars.

On Wednesday, the unemployed man was jailed for 18 months after admitting to 10 charges of having CashCards suspected to have been stolen between October and December last year.

A district court heard that a man spotted Cheong behaving suspiciously and touching the cover of his motorcycle's IU unit at a footpath next to a multi-storey carpark of Buangkok Crescent on April 11.

He called the police.

Cheong fled before the police came, leaving behind is sling bag containing, among other things, his POSB savings passbook.

Five days later he was arrested along Gerald Drive at about 3am for trying to steal a dog.

While screening his POSB passbook, police discovered the numerous times he had refunded cash from CashCards.

The amount refunded in the 10 proceeded charges was $155.64.

Nineteen other charges were taken into consideration.

Cheong has previous convictions for theft and fraudulent possession. He was last sentenced to five months' jail in January.

He could have been fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed for up to two years on each charge.