“Father Jailed for Stealing Toys Worth S$300 from Sembawang Claw Machines”

A 39-year-old Singaporean father, Mohamad Fazil Bin Jantan, has been sentenced to one week and three days in jail after admitting to stealing 55 toys from claw machines at Sembawang Shopping Centre. The theft occurred on the evening of January 6, 2023, when Fazil and his three children visited a claw machine arcade.

Frustrated after his children were unable to win prizes despite multiple attempts, Fazil lifted and tilted a claw machine, causing toys to spill out of the prize retrieval hatch. Repeating the process on other machines, the family left with 55 toys valued at S$300. The toys were placed in a shopping cart and taken away. Later that night, the shop owner discovered the emptied machines and reported the incident to the police, who identified Fazil four days later and recovered the stolen toys.

In a separate incident on February 7, 2024, Fazil was caught stealing clothing from a store at Causeway Point. After taking two items into a fitting room, he exited with one and falsely claimed to have paid for it, leaving the shop with both items. An RFID tag had been removed, bypassing the store’s theft alarm.

The court noted that Fazil’s actions demonstrated a pattern of theft. Two charges were pursued, with an additional one considered during sentencing.