20/08/2024

Spate of Housebreakings & Burglaries

Spate of housebreaking cases near Bt Timah linked to foreign syndicates, police looking for 14 Chinese nationals
Wu Jinxing, a 27-year-old Chinese national, shows police where the loot was allegedly hidden. He is believed to be part of a foreign syndicate

The recent spate of housebreaking cases in private residential estates appears to be linked to foreign syndicates involving Chinese nationals, the police said on Saturday (Aug 17).

Three people have been arrested and charged in court so far, while the police are trying to locate another 14 who are currently out of Singapore. “The police are engaging the assistance of the Chinese authorities to obtain more information and locate them. Any members of the public with information on them are encouraged to provide this information to the police,” they said.

Before the recent cases, housebreaking crimes were on a downward trend, the police said. Fifty-nine cases were reported in the first half of this year, compared with 70 in the same period last year. However, 10 cases were reported between Jun 1 and Aug 4 this year, most of them taking place in private residential estates around the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road. The stolen items in the 10 cases were valued at S$3.85 million (US$2.92 million), of which about S$1.36 million worth of items have been recovered.


Joo Chiat residents advised to safeguard properties following spate of burglaries
Joo Chiat residents received an advisory last week from the police reminding them to safeguard their properties from burglary

Concerned about the recent spate of burglaries in landed properties, some Joo Chiat residents are on heightened alert for suspicious activity near their homes.

Although the area has not been hit so far, residents received an advisory last week from the police reminding them to safeguard their properties from burglary.

Business development manager Yong Boon Kheng, 61, said the news of break-ins in other parts of Singapore, including Bukit Timah and Windsor Park, have been a source of worry.

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Singapore police crack down on surge in housebreakings in affluent neighbourhoods linked to Chinese syndicates, on the hunt for 14

Singapore police reported yesterday that the recent rise in housebreaking cases at private residential estates seems to be the work of foreign syndicates involving Chinese nationals.

According to CNA, three individuals have been arrested and charged in court, while the police are still trying to locate another 14 who are currently believed to be outside Singapore. It was reported that the police are engaging the assistance of the Chinese authorities to obtain more information and locate these individuals.

According to initial investigations, the syndicates are thought to work in small teams and gain entry to homes by climbing over perimeter walls or fences. Police informed CNA that the suspects are believed to be transient travellers who entered Singapore on Social Visit Passes, typically arriving one to two days before carrying out the crimes.


Police hunting 14 Chinese nationals linked to spate of housebreaking cases in Bukit Timah
The total value of stolen items amounted to about S$3.85 million

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is looking for 14 men linked to a spate of housebreaking cases in Bukit Timah. The men, all Chinese nationals, are wanted in connection with a foreign syndicate that appears to be responsible for the burglaries.

In a media fact sheet sent to MS News, SPF said 10 housebreaking-related cases were reported between 1 June and 4 Aug this year. Most of them took place in the private residential estates around the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road.

The value of the items stolen totalled about S$3.85 million, of which about S$1.36 million worth of items were recovered. The “sudden spike” in such cases defied the general downward trend in housebreaking — in the first half of 2023, 70 cases were reported compared with 59 in the first half of 2024.


Housebreaking syndicates have stolen $3.85m since June
International criminal syndicates have been breaking into landed properties in Singapore, with the gang members forcing their way into 10 homes and stealing about $3.85 million in cash and valuables

Police said they have arrested three foreigners, recovered $1.36 million of the loot and identified 14 other people who can assist them in their investigations. They have also enhanced security measures in private residential estates, including employing the use of cameras and drones to detect people hiding in forested areas.

The news comes amid a spike in burglary cases since June, especially in estates around forested areas and near park connectors. Between June 1 and Aug 4, police received 10 reports of burglaries at landed properties.

Police said the suspects are believed to be transient travellers who entered Singapore as social visit pass holders, usually for one to two days before committing the crime.


'Our neighbourhood was targeted': $3.85m stolen in landed homes break-ins sparks concerns among residents
The police has stepped up measures to deter and prevent crime after a spate of housebreaking cases, including the use of drones (left) as showcased by the SPF Aerial Response Team. Citizens on Patrol (right), consisting residents in the area

Some $3.85 million in cash and valuables have been stolen from landed homes in Singapore by international criminal syndicates, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Saturday (Aug 16).

Between June 1 and August 4, there were 10 cases reported and most of them took place at the private residential estates in the vicinity of the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road. There was one house in the Bishan area that was also burglarised.

Police said that of the $3.85 million stolen across the 10 cases, approximately $1.36 million in items have been recovered. Since June 2024, three separate individuals involved in these cases have been arrested and charged in court.



Housebreaking syndicates broke into 10 landed homes in S’pore since June and stole $3.85m

International criminal syndicates have been breaking into landed properties in Singapore, with the gang members forcing their way into 10 homes and stealing about $3.85 million in cash and valuables.

Police said they have arrested three foreigners, recovered $1.36 million of the loot and identified 14 other people who can assist them in their investigations. They have also enhanced security measures in private residential estates, including employing the use of cameras and drones to detect people hiding in forested areas. The news comes amid a spike in burglary cases since June, especially in estates around forested areas and near park connectors. Between June 1 and Aug 4, police received 10 reports of burglaries at landed properties.

Police said the suspects are believed to be transient travellers who entered Singapore as social visit pass holders, usually for one to two days before committing the crime. The gangs have largely targeted homes in the vicinity of the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road, but at least one house in Windsor Park Road, in the Bishan area, was also burgled. They entered the homes by scaling the perimeter walls and fences.



Housebreaking case near Holland Road: Suspect brought back to forest where luxury loot was hidden
Wu Jinxing was escorted by police to a forested area near Holland Road on Aug 2, 2024. He has been charged with dishonestly retaining stolen property linked to a housebreaking case in the area

Police on Friday (Aug 2) brought a man linked to a housebreaking case near Holland Road to visit a forested area where the loot was allegedly hidden. Wu Jinxing, 27, was charged on Monday with dishonestly retaining stolen property worth more than S$180,000.

The Chinese national was arrested on Jul 27 at the forested area at the Rail Corridor, in connection with a housebreaking case in the vicinity. Part of the stolen property was found in two areas along the Rail Corridor and more items were found at Wu's hotel room at at JXIN Hotel in Geylang.

Cash and items seized from him include an orange Hermes Birkin bag valued at S$75,000, about S$68,800 in Singapore dollars and foreign currencies amounting to about S$78,800, as well as three luxury watches including a S$30,000 Jaeger-LeCoultre watch, a Hublot watch and an Omega timepiece. He is believed to be part of a foreign syndicate.


Singapore homes targeted by housebreaking syndicates, $3.85m stolen

Private residential estates in Singapore have been targeted by housebreaking syndicates, with a sharp spike in cases reported since the start of June. Police are stepping up prevention measures, deploying mobile cameras and drones to deter crime.


A string of rare housebreaking episodes puts an affluent Singapore neighbourhood on alert, and on edge
Mobile cameras, known as Mobicams, have been set up by the police in strategic locations in the targeted estates, following the spate of housebreaking cases

Residents in Singapore's Holland and Bukit Timah area have been on heightened alert since their largely landed neighbourhood was targeted by a recent spate of rare housebreaking cases.

More residents are joining group chats used to communicate estate ongoings, and people are increasingly conscious about shutting their gates and doors as well as the need to beef up home security systems. Most of those who spoke to CNA still felt safe, though they were concerned by the 10 housebreaking cases from June to August, believed to be carried out by foreign syndicates.

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said such crimes are not common at all in Singapore. “If you look at the past 10 years, there has been a decline in housebreaking cases,” he said.



Shop thefts on the rise - cases jump 25% in first half of 2023 as overall physical crime rises
Shop theft accounted for 18.1 per cent of all physical crime cases, said the police. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

The number of shop theft cases rose to 1,820 in the first half of 2023, with experts saying self-checkout counters could be a possible reason for the rise in such cases.

The figure rose 25.3 per cent from the 1,453 cases during the same period last year, the police revealed on Friday, in releasing the mid-year crime statistics. Overall, the total number of physical crime cases increased by 5.4 per cent to 10,080 from January to June 2023, from 9,568 in the same period last year.

Shop theft accounted for 18.1 per cent of all physical crime cases, said the police. A total of 76 per cent of the cases took place at retail chains and shops such as department stores, supermarkets, health and beauty shops, minimarts and convenience stores. Items typically stolen were food, alcoholic drinks, personal care products, clothes, accessories and cosmetics.


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Spate of Online Scams
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