SINGAPORE – A 39-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly broke into a mosque.

The incident happened on Nov 1 at about 9.10am, at the Masjid Ar-Raudhah mosque in Bukit Batok East Avenue 2, said the police in a statement on Wednesday.

A total of 14 donation boxes in the mosque were tampered with and cash was allegedly stolen from them, the police said.

Officers from Jurong Police Division managed to identify the suspect through images from police cameras as well as investigations on the ground, and arrested him on Nov 7.

The man will be charged on Thursday with the offence of housebreaking. If convicted, he may be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

The police advised the public to secure doors, windows and other openings with good quality grilles and close-shackled padlocks before leaving their premises unattended, even for a short while.

People should refrain also from keeping large sums of cash and valuables in any premises, the police said.

The public should install a burglar alarm, motion sensor light or closed-circuit television cameras to cover access points into their premises, the police added.