Singapore police have arrested a man and a woman, aged 18 and 19 respectively, on 21 March after they were found guilty of a series of thefts from Airbnb rented rooms. The suspects will be charged in court today for theft and if found guilty they can receive jail sentence up to seven years.
In a press release, the police said that they were alerted by the victims on more than five instances of missing items, like cash, personal laptops and mobile phones, after they rented rooms to the duo. The pair was ultimately arrested at Jalan Teck Kee at Serangoon Gardens.
An Airbnb spokesperson said on Thursday that the company was "deeply concerned" after the incident, reported The Channel News Asia. He also said that the company has been working with hosts, who all have incurred a loss of S$1,200,000, to offer assistance through its host guarantee. "We have zero tolerance for this sort of behaviour. We worked with the police to help make sure those responsible will be held accountable, and they've also been banned from using Airbnb," said the spokesperson, as reported.
Airbnb is an online marketplace and hospitality service, enabling people to lease or rent short-term lodging. The spokesperson also said that such negative incidents were "extremely rare".
