SINGAPORE: Two men were sentenced to jail on Wednesday (Apr 12) for stealing milk powder from supermarkets to sell for cash.
Muhammad Lutfi Rambly, 29, was sentenced to five months’ jail and an additional 36 days as he had reoffended while on remission.
Lutfi, a repeat offender, pleaded guilty to one count of theft, with a second charge taken into consideration.
In a separate case, Sophiaan Hamzah, 47, was given 10 weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to two counts of theft. Another two charges were considered in sentencing.
The court heard that Lutfi went to Sheng Siong supermarket at Block 739A, Bedok Reservoir Road on Jan 5 to steal the milk powder.
He took five tins of Enfagrow and Enfamil milk powder worth S$471.55 (US$355) in total and placed them in his bags before leaving.
The supermarket’s store manager conducted a stock check the next day and realised that several tins of milk powder were unaccounted for.
He viewed the shop’s closed-circuit television footage and discovered that Lutfi had taken the five tins and left without paying. The manager lodged a police report.
On Jan 10, Lutfi went to the NTUC FairPrice supermarket at SingPost Centre along Eunos Road. He stole another six tins of milk powder worth S$554.76 and was arrested by the police.
Lutfi admitted to stealing the milk for monetary gain. He sold the tins via Telegram to unknown buyers and did not make any restitution.
He has previous convictions, including a 2019 conviction for snatch theft. He was released from jail and was on remission from November 2022 to end-February 2023 when he committed the milk powder thefts.
THE SECOND CASE
The second milk powder thief, Sophiaan, had gone to Sheng Siong supermarket at Block 61, Teban Gardens Road on two occasions in February to steal milk powder.
He stole one tin of Enfamil Pro milk powder valued at S$71 on Feb 24. Two days later, he returned to the same outlet and again placed a tin of milk powder from the same brand into a plastic bag.
Sophiaan was walking out of the supermarket with the tin in his plastic bag when a cashier spotted him leaving without paying. The cashier informed a shop assistant, who lodged an online police report after viewing CCTV footage.
The Feb 24 offence was uncovered when the shop employees did a stock take and realised another tin was unaccounted for.
Sophiaan was arrested at his flat nearby and the two tins were recovered. He admitted that he had stolen them with the intention to sell them for cash.
Sophiaan asked for a lenient sentence, saying his mother was ill and wheelchair bound, while his sister was suffering from fits. He said if he was given a lenient sentence, he could be released earlier and take care of his mother and sister.
The penalty for theft is a jail term of up to seven years and a fine.