Ex-SMRT employee jailed 2 weeks for stealing more than S$2,000 at service counter

SINGAPORE — A former SMRT former customer service officer who worked at Pasir Ris MRT Station was sentenced to two weeks’ jail on Tuesday (Oct 29), after stealing S$2,249.20 from the station’s passenger service centre.

Mohamad Rashid Junaidi, 27, used the money for his wedding expenses and has since made full restitution to the transport operator.

He pleaded guilty to one charge of theft.

The court heard that he had been working at SMRT since 2016, and was responsible for attending to passengers there.

On May 20, an assistant station manager discovered that there was a shortage of S$1,500 in the two cash registers of the passenger service centre.

When the manager checked a travel bag left behind by another commuter the day before, he discovered that US$500 (S$690) and 160 Saudi riyals (S$59) was also missing. 

He then tried to locate Rashid to no avail.

The manager told the service operations manager what had happened and they filed a police report.

Rashid was arrested about two weeks later on June 7. 

He said that he had reported for work that morning and took the money while he was alone at the passenger service centre. He then left the workstation half an hour before the manager realised there was a cash shortfall.

In mitigation, Rashid — who did not have a lawyer — pleaded for a warning or a fine, saying that he had to take care of his bedridden father by showering and feeding him.

State Prosecuting Officer M Mariyappan, however, told the court that Rashid knew the rules and regulations as an SMRT employee and was supposed to take care of the valuables given to them for safekeeping.

District Judge Edgar Foo agreed with the prosecution and noted that Rashid had “clearly abused the trust” imposed in him. 

He could have been jailed up to three years, or fined, or both.