Shoe thieves caught on video

Shoe thieves caught in the act on security camera.

A GROUP of thieves was caught on camera after they struck at a Farrer Park unit and made off with the occupant's shoes.

Stomper kyutake13 said this was the second time thieves have struck. "They were completely oblivious to the presence of a security camera recording their every move. It is unbelievable how...they can carry this out so arrogantly," he said.

He hoped that this would remind families not to keep valuable items outside the house as they could invite unwanted attention.

Handphone stolen? Tech tools help you get it back

THIEVES are increasingly going after iPhones and other 'smart phones' but victims now can fight back with technology.

One device allows a user to remotely activate a loud siren designed to rattle the thief. Another application, designed for iPhones, can reveal the phone's location.

New technology helps owners of expensive gadgets to get them back after they are lost or stolen.

The Find My iPhone feature from Apple, which declined to comment for this report, enables users to determine the phone's location and erase the data on it, among other things.

A Chicago blogger who tried the feature after his iPhone disappeared tracked the phone's movements from a friend's computer.

According to his post at happywaffle.livejournal.com/5890.html, he got his phone back - and a handshake from the surprised culprit.

'You're lucky you didn't get shot in the face,' read one comment on the blog.

Indian company Maverick Mobile Solutions' system allows victims of theft to activate a siren and send a text message to the phone - perhaps to offer a deal to get the phone back.

Fear of a gadget-related crime wave is not new. In 2005, as Apple's signature white earphones were becoming ubiquitous in US cities, the New York Police Department reported an increase in subway crime linked to iPod thefts. Before that, victims were targeted for their expensive sneakers.

But hand phone theft is a particular concern because of the risk of identity theft, said City Councilman Peter Vallone.

'It's bad enough losing your phone and that's all it was a few years ago,' MrVallone said. 'Nowadays, if you lose your phone, you can very quickly lose your identity.'

Many iPhone users agree that, given the amount of personal data stored on phones, losing one could be devastating.

'The damage would be extensive,' said MrJoshua Deutch, 32, a freelance IT consultant. He said he would 'not think twice' before wiping data - including bank account numbers and multiple passwords - if someone stole his iPhone.

But he said pursuing a thief would be going too far. 'Obviously, there's some excitement with that but I have insurance.'

After data has been wiped clean, the iPhone is 'just a brick', he said. -- Reuters.

Thieves dig hole into goldsmith shop, then discover...

THE concrete wall was about 20cm thick, but the burglars managed to hack a hole big enough for them to climb through.

They also went through the trouble of disabling the security alarm so that they could loot the goldsmith shop without worrying.

However, all their efforts were in vain.

The goldsmith had kept all the jewellery in his safes, which the burglars were unable to pry open.

The goldsmith returned to his shop in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, on Monday morning to find a big hole in his shop wall and a damaged alarm system, reported Malaysian papers.

When he checked his safes, he found that all his jewellery were still there. He then made a police report.

As there was no one living in the shophouse above, police believe that the burglars struck at night after the shops in the vicinity had closed.

The burglars were believed to have started hacking from a vacant shop next to the goldsmith shop. The hole measured about 70cm by 70cm.

Another chiselled crack on the wall was discovered on the wall of the vacant shophouse which separates it from the goldsmith's office where the safes are kept.

However, the crack was only about 20cm in diameter. The burglars were believed to have given up the hacking here as the wall was too thick.

The owner had erected a double wall around his office. He declined to be interviewed and closed his shop after investigators left.

Police found a chiselling tool at the vacant shophouse, but were unable to find fingerprints.

As the CCTV was damaged, police were not sure how many burglars were involved, reported Guang Ming Daily.

But from the extent of the break-in and damage, police believe that more than one person was involved.

A police spokesman told China Press that this is the first time in Seremban that they had seen burglars trying to gain access by hacking a hole in a wall.

The spokesman also praised the goldsmith shop owner who minimised his losses by keeping the jewellery in his safes.

Bouncer loses car while helping drunk woman

He leaves her in car to retrieve wallet in club, then returns to find car gone

THE woman was dead drunk, so part-time bouncer Sahifizad Yusof thought he would drive her to a police post.

GOOD DEED: Mr Sahifizad spotted the woman alone in the club and decided to help her. TNP PICTURE: KUA CHEE SIONG

Little did he know the deed would cost him his car.

The 28-year-old sales manager said his car was stolen on 14Jun at Clarke Quay after he left the woman in it for a short time.

Mr Sahifizad works as a part-time bouncer for different clubs. That night, he was working for a club at Clarke Quay for the first time.

Around 3.45am, Mr Sahifizad noticed a woman who looked to be in her 20s alone inside the club.

'She appeared very drunk and I could tell from the way she smelt that she had been drinking a lot,' Mr Sahifizad told The New Paper.

'She then threw up. She also broke a statue that belonged to the club.'

With the help of the floor manager, Mr Sahifizad took her outside.

But 15 minutes later, the woman staggered back into the club, Mr Sahifizad said.

This time, he decided to put her in a taxi.

No address, no IC

But when he asked her for her address, it appeared that she could not recollect it. He then asked her for her identity card to check for her home address.

But the woman said she did not have her wallet with her. He also noticed that she was barefoot.

So he decided to drive her to the police post nearby.

'She asked if I could go back to the club to get her wallet,' Mr Sahifizad said.

'I agreed. I told her she would have to wait for me in my car, and she said okay.'

He then helped her to the back seat of his yellow Hyundai Getz, which was parked near Hotel Novotel, a two-minute walk from the club.

He left the car key in the ignition and the air-conditioning running.

After locking the car doors from the outside with a separate remote key, Mr Sahifizad returned to the club.

'I also wanted to get a colleague to come with us in the car in case I get accused of having inappropriate intentions on the woman,' he added.

But he could not find the woman's belongings.

When he returned to where the car was parked 10 minutes later, he found it missing. The woman was also nowhere to be found.

Mr Sahifizad: 'I walked around looking for my car and, after about five minutes, I saw a few police officers and told them what happened.

'They said they sent out a message asking their colleagues to look out for my car. They also took my statement.'

A police spokesman confirmed that they received a call on 14Jun at 4.40am about a stolen vehicle at Tan Tye Place near Clarke Quay. Investigations are ongoing.

Mr Sahifizad said his handphone, wallet, identity card, CashCards and clothes were in the car.

He said his car, which he bought for $56,000, is about five years old.

'I treat the car like my wife,' the bachelor said. 'It has sentimental value.

'I just want my car back.'

Man held over laptop theft at fair

A man was apparently caught red-handed stealing a laptop at The PC Show at Suntec Singapore on Sunday night.

Stomper Surrephoto, who took photos of the incident, said it happened near the closing time of the fair.

"A man had apparently stolen an Acer laptop... There was jeering, but also sympathetic onlookers. Some people even threw scraps of paper at him.

"The photos show the security guard at Suntec Convention Hall who had the man tied up," he said.

BRA Thief