SINGAPORE, June 10 — For about three months, Chan Chun Yee kept returning to the self-collect POPStation lockers in Tanjong Pagar Plaza to steal parcels placed there. Among his loot were a bottle of moisturiser, a sports bra and an iPhone that he then sold to other people.

Today, the 48-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to three weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to three charges of theft and one of cheating by personation.

Another four charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

Chan came up with a plan sometime before June 25 last year to steal items from the POPStation lockers in the Tanjong Pagar Post Office.

The lockers allow users to get a particular locker for collection of parcels and users are assigned a particular SMS by phone or a QR code to unlock them.

Court documents did not mention why Chan had targeted that particular location.

His plan was to look out for lockers that were not properly secured, take parcels from them and come back to replace the stolen parcels with a different item.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Hidayat Amir said: “He intended for the rightful recipients of the parcels to believe that a wrong item had been delivered to them.”

Chan successfully carried out this plan on six occasions from June 25 to September 21.

The items he stole included clothes, a contact lens cleaner and an iPhone 15 Pro valued at S$1,809 (RM6,310).

Around September 21, he chanced upon a National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) belonging to an unrelated person.

Two days later, he went to People’s Park Complex to sell off the iPhone he had stolen earlier. When prompted by the salesperson, Chan provided him with the NRIC he had found and passed it off as his.

The salesperson then bought the phone from him for S$1,200.

While court documents did not state how Chan’s offences came to light, the phone was sold off to another buyer and Chan was arrested on the same day.

The total losses suffered by the victims amounted to almost S$2,200.

Singapore Post, which owns POPStation lockers, has compensated the victims. Chan has made full restitution to the company.

For each count of theft, Chan could have been sentenced to three years’ jail or a fine, or both.

For cheating by personation, he could have been jailed for up to five years or fined, or both. — TODAY