---
title: "Man steals $11k from donation boxes at Geylang coffee shop to repay drug debts, only had $166 when arrested"
url: "/trending-now/man-steals-11k-donation-boxes-geylang-coffee-shop-repay-drug-debts-found-only-166-when-arrested"
published: "2026-10-28T10:23:54.000Z"
updated: "2026-10-28T10:55:25.000Z"
section: "Trending Now"
authors: ["Trixy Toh"]
tags: ["TNP News","Geylang","donation boxes","theft","jail","coffee shop","drug debts"]
---

# Man steals $11k from donation boxes at Geylang coffee shop to repay drug debts, only had $166 when arrested

*A man was sentenced to jail for stealing about $11,000 from 10 donation boxes at a Geylang coffee shop to repay his drug debts.*

A man was sentenced to jail for stealing about $11,000 from 10 donation boxes at a Geylang coffee shop to repay his drug debts.

Manohar Thirunavukkarasu, 29, was sentenced to four months and four weeks’ jail. He faced two charges of theft and one charge under the Private Security Industry Act.

He pleaded guilty to two charges, while the remaining charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.

## Stole about $11k from donation boxes to repay drug debts

According to court documents, the stall was Kwan Tzi Cuisine, located in the Kim San Leng coffee shop at Block 134 Geylang East Avenue 1.

The owner of the stall, Choo Hong Eng, collected the donations by placing 10 metal donation boxes on a metal rack in the coffee shop, which were locked using a single cable tie.

The money collected was intended for various organisations, including Da Zhong Hospital, Zhong Hua Hospital and Ren Ci Hospital.

On the night of June 13, a stall employee forgot to bring a trolley containing the 10 donation boxes into the coffee shop before closing for the day.

At about 1.48am on June 14, Manohar happened to pass by the coffee shop and spotted the boxes left outside, prompting him to steal them.

He retrieved a nearby blue storage container used to store dirty cutlery. As the donation boxes were heavy, he placed the container on a trolley before returning to collect the boxes and load them into it.

![man steals 11k from 10 donation boxes at geylang coffee shop to repay drug debts](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/da2a023d2eb8d212517d812511af7539678aecbba2e08380162ff36ebc54cf05)

Manohar then wheeled the trolley along Sims Avenue in the direction of Aljunied MRT.

After breaking open the donation boxes, he took about $11,000 in cash before discarding the trolley, container and boxes.

He claimed to have spent about $1,000 on personal expenses before his arrest, while using the remaining $10,000 to repay his drug debts to unknown persons.

The stall’s owner discovered the theft and made a police report at about 5.32am that day.

Manohar was arrested on June 30. At the time, $166 in cash and small amounts of foreign currencies were found in his possession.

The stolen $11,000 was not recovered, and no restitution has been made.

## Man slept overnight at SOTA campus, swore at security guard

On June 30 at about 2.52am, Manohar was lying down on a staircase at the School of the Arts (SOTA) while using his mobile phone when a security guard on patrol spotted him.

The guard asked him to leave, but Manohar became agitated and repeatedly hurled vulgarities at him.

He uttered the words, “Who the f*** you think you are. Shut up and f*** you.”

When Manohar ignored the warnings and moved closer to the guard, the latter called the police as he felt intimidated and harassed.

Upon arriving and checking Manohar’s identity, the officers discovered that he was wanted for stealing the donation boxes and arrested him.

Investigations revealed that Manohar had been sleeping in the same area at SOTA for several days. He would rest on the stairs overnight before leaving for work at about 5.30am.

## Stall owner no longer places donation boxes outside stall

In an interview, stall owner Choo told Shin Min Daily News that she was relieved that the thief had finally been brought to justice, allowing her to explain the situation to the organisations she worked with.

She said representatives from some of the organisations had collected donations from several boxes shortly before the theft, helping to prevent even greater losses.

Choo added that she no longer places donation boxes outside her stall. The space previously occupied by the 10 boxes is now used to store cutlery.

“We used to be able to raise some money for the charitable organisations. It is a pity that these donations have stopped,” she said.