Condominium security guard pocketed Louis Vuitton wallet dropped by resident, gets jail
The wallet, which was worth S$1,800, contained cash of S$500 and was turned in to the condominium's security desk by a passer-by who found it.
Screengrab from Google Street View of The Alcove condominium.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: When a passer-by picked up a wallet containing S$500 (US$376) that a resident had dropped and turned it in to the security desk at a condominium, a security guard pocketed the valuables instead of returning them to the rightful owner.
A Murugaiya, a 56-year-old Singaporean man, was sentenced to three weeks' jail on Wednesday (Jan 3) for his crime.
He pleaded guilty to one count of criminal breach of trust by dishonest misappropriation.
The court heard that the victim, a 46-year-old man, dropped his wallet and keys at the entrance of The Alcove Condominium, where he lived, on Aug 27 last year.
The wallet was a black Louis Vuitton wallet valued at S$1,800, court documents stated.
Minutes after the victim left, a passer-by chanced on the wallet and keys and picked them up.
The passer-by immediately passed the wallet, which contained at least S$500, to Murugaiya, who was manning the security desk at the condominium.
However, Murugaiya kept the wallet and money and took them home with him.
The next day, the victim met with Murugaiya and Murugaiya's supervisor about his lost wallet.
Murugaiya eventually admitted taking the wallet, and signed on a piece of paper along with his supervisor indicating that the wallet was with him.
The victim was returned his keys on Aug 29, 2023, but received his wallet only a day later, with S$490 missing.
Only S$10 was left in the wallet, and the remaining sum was not recovered.
Murugaiya did not make any restitution.
The victim made a police report, and Murugaiya was arrested in December 2023 and remanded.
The prosecutor sought at least four weeks' jail, noting Murugaiya's lack of past convictions.
However, she said there was a "high quality and degree of trust" placed in Murugaiya, who was a security officer tasked with ensuring the safety of the premises, property and of the condo residents.
"As such, any resident of the condominium who returns a lost item to the accused would have a high degree of trust in the accused that the item would be safely returned to the rightful owner," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Ashley Poh.
She added that the wallet was returned only after the victim spoke with Murugaiya and his supervisor.
"The total value of the item misappropriated in the first place, before the accused was confronted, amounted to at least S$2,300 in value," said Ms Poh.
For criminal breach of trust by dishonest misappropriation, Murugaiya could have been jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.
