Police have arrested a 38-year-old man believed to be involved in a case of housebreaking at a residential unit near Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, with the help of police cameras nearby.

On the afternoon of Feb 9, a victim reported a case of a break-in, where an unknown suspect had stolen her handphone from a shelf near a window along her flat's corridor. He also tried using a bamboo pole to fish her handbag from inside the living room, but was unsuccessful. He fled when the victim spotted him.

With footage retrieved from the police cameras in the area, officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division managed to establish the suspect's identity. He was arrested on Feb 10, one day after the break-in.

The suspect will be charged in Court 26 on Feb 13 for an offence of Housebreaking and Theft by Day, which carries a maximum of 14 years in jail with caning.

Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Keok Tong San, advised home owners to secure their premises well and avoid leaving valuables within reach from common corridors.