Late-Night Thefts Hit Hall 4

Victims had their valuables stolen while sleeping in their rooms with their doors unlocked.

By Liu Ting Ting, Chinese Editor

A series of late-night break-ins at Hall of Residence 4 has cost residents their laptops, phones and cash.

In the first theft on 27 Aug, an iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 were stolen. The second theft, on 14 Sep, saw two laptops, a Nokia phone and S$100 cash going missing. Both incidents took place on the fifth floor of Block 27.

The victims had, in both cases, left their doors unlocked.

They were also fast asleep and only found out the next morning that their belongings were missing.

SILENT STRIKE: The thief had allegedly entered the victims’ rooms when they were sleeping without making a sound.
PHOTO: TIFFANY GOH

In the more recent case, one of the victims, a first-year student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, who declined to be named said: “My roommate and I were too tired and we forgot to lock the door that night.”

She said both their laptops were charging the night before and had other devices connected to it. However, only the laptops were taken. The thief also took money from her wallet, but left her identity and bank cards alone, she added.

All four victims and their neighbours said that they did not hear any noise nor see any suspicious-looking person on those nights.

The case is under police investigation and no suspects have been identified yet.

Victim of the first theft, Pearlyn Chew, 19, said: “I remember unplugging my iPhone from its charger and putting it next to my pillow at around 4am.”

When she and her roommate woke up four hours later, they found their phones missing. They then frantically searched their room and the whole storey. Chew, a first-year Nanyang Business School student said: “It’s possible that we wiped away any potential thumbprints that might have been on the door handle.”

She said she had left the door unlocked for her roommate, who was out. After her roommate returned, Chew went to sleep without locking the door.

Hall 4 residents raised concerns about the lack of sufficient security measures in their halls to deter burglars.

Chew said the installation of security gates, such as those at other halls, might have prevented the thefts.

Her neighbour, Camelia Ting, a third-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, said there were no security cameras installed in Hall 4. She added: “There’s a problem with Hall 4’s architectural design. There are just too many pillars and blind spots. It is hard to tell who is lurking around the corner.”

An Office of Housing & Auxiliary Services (HAS) spokesperson explained that “electronic locks were installed on all room doors at Hall 4, like many other NTU halls” to deter theft.

HAS added that they emailed information about personal safety to residents at the start of this semester. They also regularly send reminders.

Campus security also conducts regular patrols throughout the night, HAS said.

“As NTU is an open campus, hall residents are strongly advised to take personal responsibility to keep their valuables safe and not to leave them unattended. Students should also lock their doors at all times,” said the HAS spokesperson.