Deva Seelan Sati Veloo, 38, allegedly entered the Tanjong Pagar flat on March 28, more than a year after leaving his job at a popular bak kut teh restaurant, AsiaOne reported.

Restaurant owner Lin Fulai, 44, said Deva moved out of the rented staff accommodation after resigning in December 2024. Two employees who remained there discovered their jewelry was missing when they returned from work on March 28.

According to the charge sheet, the alleged break-in occurred between 1:43 p.m. and 2 p.m. The missing items comprised a SGD30,500 necklace belonging to Liew Kai Sin, 26, and two bracelets and a ring belonging to another employee, valued at a combined SGD29,500.

Liew told Shin Min Daily News that the room had not appeared to have been ransacked. When police asked whether they suspected anyone they knew, both employees thought of Deva.

Lin remembered Deva as a hardworking employee who could speak Chinese. He said Deva occasionally requested salary advances of a few hundred dollars for family expenses. “We were all surprised that he was involved in the case,” he said.

Lin also recounted an incident in 2024 when Deva took two weeks off for the birth of his child. Deva then allegedly said the baby had died and requested another week’s leave, providing a photograph to support his claim.

Lin described the image as “obviously fake” because the child pictured appeared to be two or three years old. He said Deva returned after being confronted and subsequently resigned.

Court records indicate that Deva has been held on remand since April 25 and is expected to plead guilty at a hearing on Nov. 10.