On August 8, a major police operation in Bukit Timah led to the arrest of four Chinese nationals believed to be connected to housebreaking syndicates involving foreign criminals. The suspects Zhuo Yinggui, 36; Yang Chao, 41; Zhou Qifa, 36; and He Jiao, 38 were each charged on August 10 with possessing housebreaking tools.
Court documents revealed they were found at the Rail Corridor near the Greenleaf estate with two black balaclavas, three bent-tip screwdrivers, three pairs of gloves, two wrenches, and a torchlight. These items are typically associated with forced entry operations. If convicted, each man faces up to two years in prison and a fine.
The arrests were part of a targeted operation after police noted that housebreakers often use forested areas along the Rail Corridor to conceal their movements while attempting to break into nearby homes. On August 8, officers conducting patrols spotted the four men behaving suspiciously in a park. When approached, the group fled into a forested area.
Within two hours, two suspects were caught in the forest. The third suspect was apprehended later that day at a shopping mall near Clementi. The fourth man was located the following morning at a hotel in Geylang. Police seized various housebreaking tools and over $400 in cash during the operation.
All four suspects, originating from Guizhou province in China, had entered Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint on the same day they were caught, each on a social visit pass. For three of them, it was not their first visit to Singapore. Authorities are now investigating whether they are linked to other cases of housebreaking in the country.
Between April and July 2024, there were three reported incidents of housebreaking near the Rail Corridor and one attempted break-in. In two of those cases, around $60,000 worth of luxury watches and jewellery were stolen. Investigators are examining the possibility that these crimes are tied to international criminal syndicates.
The four men remain in remand, and no bail has been offered. Their next court appearance is scheduled for August 15. Police have stepped up their prevention measures since June 2024 in private residential areas, installing more surveillance cameras and increasing patrols.
Authorities also urged residents to adopt their own crime prevention strategies, such as installing CCTV systems and burglar alarms. Assistant Commissioner of Police Serene Chiu, commander of the Clementi Police Division, highlighted that the coordinated police effort led to the swift arrest of all four men within 24 hours of their arrival in Singapore, preventing potential break-ins before they could occur.
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