SINGAPORE - A debt-ridden waiter broke into the restaurant he worked at in the wee hours to make off with around $10,000.

Rashid Koned, 64, tried to hide from CCTV cameras by covering himself in a black bin bag and opening an umbrella.

But he could not hide from justice on Monday (Jan 22) when he was sentenced to 18 months' jail after admitting to housebreaking and theft.

A court heard how he scaled a wall and climbed through a window to get into the Victory restaurant in North Bridge Road on Oct 8 last year.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Quek Jing Feng said that at about 1.10am he arrived at the back lane of the restaurant on a bicycle.

He used the umbrella to push the CCTV camera upwards then switched off the main electrical supply before climbing onto a bin and metal blower to access a second-floor window, which he opened using a wire.

Once inside, he took a knife from the kitchen and used it to pry open two drawers which he knew contained cash.

After exiting the restaurant the same way, he rode to Nicholl Highway MRT station where he stopped to count the money.

He then took a bus to HarbourFront Centre and used an ATM to transfer $5,000 to his various creditors.

He then took a ferry to Batam, Indonesia, where his family lives, converted the remaining money to Indonesian rupiah and spent it all.

On Nov 10 he was arrested while trying to enter Singapore.

No restitution has been made.

He could have been jailed up to 10 years for the offence.