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CASHING in on the global rising metal prices, two scrap metal thieves struck at various places from September to December last year.
They stripped and carted stainless steel food trolleys, portable toilets, bars and metal parts from various companies, loading bays and void decks onto their lorry and sold them as scrap metal to a factory at Defu Lane. They then split the proceeds.
In all, they got away with $34,568 worth of stainless steel products during the three-month stealing spree.
On Friday, one of them, R. Nagulan, 43, was jailed for nine months after he he had earlier admitted to eight charges of theft involving $25,300 worth of goods with a 36-year-old accomplice, who remains at large.
The places they struck included Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok, Bedok and Woodlands.
Nagulan, who has convictions for forgery, theft and drug consumtpion, had 10 other charges considered during his sentencing.
In the first nine months of this year, metal thieves stole $4.5 million worth of items in 1,014 theft cases - 25 per cent higher than the 812 cases over the same period last year.
The 1,092 cases for the whole of last year involved $3.8 million.
Scrap metal prices have more than doubled in the last three years.
From Dec 1, a new law demanding more accountability of those in the scrap metal trade will take effect.
Second-hand dealers in metal will then have to keep records of both their buyers and sellers.
Another new regulation requires buyers to pay for their goods with crossed cheques, which will make it easier for the police to track down transactions of stolen items
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