4 Chinese nationals caught with housebreaking tools believed to be linked to foreign syndicates
Four Chinese nationals, aged between 36 and 41, were arrested for possession of housebreaking implements.
They are believed to be linked to housebreaking foreign syndicates involving Chinese nationals, said police in a news release on Aug 10.
The police were conducting an operation against housebreaking in the vicinity of Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road on Aug 8. Housebreakers would typically exploit the forested areas along the Rail Corridor to conceal their movements while attempting to commit housebreaking activities.
The four men were seen running into a forested area by patrolling police officers.
"As their behaviour was deemed suspicious, officers from Clementi Police Division, Police Operations Command Centre, Police Intelligence Department, Gurkha Contingent, Special Operations Command and Home Team Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Command were activated for a search operation," the police told The Straits Times.
Officers, including dog-unit personnel and plain-clothes policemen, were seen searching a forested area near Greenleaf Place, a quiet cul-de-sac lined with landed houses in a private residential estate.
"Through effective coordination and sense-making by the police, two men were successfully arrested at the forested areas in the vicinity of the Rail Corridor on the same day," said the news release.
The third man was arrested at a mall near Clementi on the same night while the fourth man was arrested the following morning at a hotel in Geylang.
Various housebreaking implements such as screwdrivers and spanners, clothing and cash amounting to more than $400 were found in the possession of the suspects and seized for investigations.
On Aug 10, the four charged with one count each for possessing housebreaking tools were:
- Zhuo Yinggui, 36
- Yang Chao, 41
- Zhou Qifa, 36
- He Jiao, 38
If convicted, they may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, and shall also be liable to fine.
The four men, who are from the Guizhou province in China, entered Singapore by Woodlands Checkpoint on social visit passes on Aug 8, reported The Straits Times.
Investigations are underway and the police believe that the men may be linked to other housebreaking-related cases reported in Singapore between April and July.
Since June 2024, the police have stepped up measures to prevent and deter housebreaking and theft at private residential estates. These include placing additional police cameras at strategic locations and frequent police patrols.
The police have also conducted regular engagements with residents from the private residential estates and have issued crime prevention advisories.
