Man in death plunge may have broken into friend’s flat
Flat owner's gold chain and iPhone were found on him after he fell from the eighth storey
When the police came knocking on his door last Friday, they had news that shocked him.
A man he knew had been found dead at the foot of his block that morning, but even more troubling was the fact that his gold chain and smartphone had been found on the deceased.
The home owner, a sales manager who wanted to be known only as Mr Lim, 35, believes the man had broken into his eighth-storey unit in Block 512C Yishun Street 51 through an open kitchen window.
He then fell to his death while trying to escape with his loot.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call at about 6am about an injured man at the foot of the block.
When he died from his injuries after he was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, the SCDF notified the police.
A police spokesman said they were alerted to the 25-year-old man's death at about 7.20am last Friday and are investigating the unnatural death.
Mr Lim told The New Paper yesterday: "The police came to my unit at about 10am last Friday and told us someone had fallen from our kitchen window."
He was shocked to learn of the deceased's identity.
"I knew the guy who died. He had come to my home a few times."
Mr Lim believes the man gained access to his kitchen window by jumping from a ledge along the common corridor to his air-conditioner ledge a metre away and slipped and fell after he tried to cross back from the air-con ledge.
He said he realised his gold chain, which has an amulet, and iPhone 6 were missing only after the police visit.
Mr Lim said his family, including three children aged seven, five and four, must have slept through the burglary.
"Thankfully, we lock our room doors when sleeping and he didn't go into my children's rooms. I think he must have walked around the living room and then found the phone and chain in my study."
Mr Lim said he had previously thought his acquaintance was a "good guy" until an incident a while back.
"I found some money missing from my wallet once after he visited, so I started avoiding him after that," he said.
The family members told TNP that they used to not close the windows at night.
Mr Lim said: "We are still shaken, and our neighbours are also shaken by what happened.
"Now we make it a point to do a 'lockdown' every night, locking all our windows and doors for the safety of the kids."
Despite what had happened, Mr Lim said: "I am sorry for his family's loss and would like to send them my condolences."
Crime prevention measures
The number of housebreaking cases from January to September this year has increased by more than a third from the same period last year . The police advise property owners on these crime prevention measures:
- Ensure all doors, windows and other openings are secured with good quality grilles and close- shackled padlocks before going to bed or when leaving your home unattended, even for a short while
- Install a burglar alarm and surveillance cameras to cover access points.
Ensure they are tested periodically and in good working condition. - Refrain from keeping large sums of money at home.
- Suspend or cancel all home deliveries when you are away, and arrange for someone to pick up newspapers and mail.
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