Aetos auxiliary officer jailed for taking pouch at checkpoint

An Aetos auxiliary police officer was jailed for two weeks on Thursday for misappropriating a pouch and fraudulent possession.

Mohamed Yassin Sampol, 57, pleaded guilty to taking Malaysian Tan Peck Poo's pouch at the arrival hall of Woodlands Immigration Checkpoint on June 7.

He also admitted to fraudulently having five ez-Link cards, a company issued card and a Legoland card which he could not explain how he got them on June 25.

A magistrate's court heard that Ms Tan, 25, inadvertently dropped her pouch on the ground while undergoing inspection at the arrival hall at Woodlands Immigration checkpoint on the evening of June 7.

After having cleared the inspection, she proceeded on her way. Yassin noticed the pouch on the floor next to the X-ray machine. He picked up the pouch, checked its contents and kept it inside his pocket.

When Ms Tan realised that her pouch was missing, she returned to the area and sought help from an Aetos officer to find it.

When the officer asked Yassin if he had found any pouch, he lied by replying that he had not.

After he had finished work, Yassin used Ms Tan's ez-Link card to board a bus. A few days later he spent the $50 and RM70 found inside the pouch.

Police arrested Yassin at Woodlands Crossing on June 25. The seven cards were found on him. He admitted he had picked them up over the years and dishonestly kept them for his own use.

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