A Singapore court sentenced six Malaysian men to prison terms ranging from 7 years 8 months to nearly 13 years, along with up to 24 strokes of the cane, after they pleaded guilty to jointly robbing a luxury residence during a high-stakes poker game. They stole cryptocurrency, cash, and luxury watches worth about 4.9 million Singapore dollars (around 128 million baht) before fleeing across the border to Malaysia. The court described the robbery as "brazen and meticulously planned," disrupting public order and national security.
The Singapore High Court sentenced six Malaysians to prison terms between 7 years 8 months and 12 years 11 months, along with 24 strokes of the cane for those under 50, following their guilty pleas to charges of armed robbery and jointly moving proceeds of crime out of jurisdiction.
The incident occurred at dawn on 18 April 2024, when seven assailants broke into a luxury mansion in the King’s Albert Park area where an illegal high-stakes poker game was underway. Some of the assailants carried machetes and baseball bats, forcibly tying and gagging the occupants before seizing cash, valuables, and cryptocurrency worth approximately 4.9 million Singapore dollars (about 128 million baht).
The prosecution stated this case ranks among the highest-value robberies in Singapore’s history by asset value. Judge Aidan Su denounced the act as a "heinous and expertly planned scheme" that shook public peace and national security. He emphasized that Singapore is a safe country and that crimes undermining residential security must be severely punished to serve as deterrence.
The case began in November 2023 when 35-year-old Wong Chee Chan and 30-year-old Ko Boon Tong learned of an illegal high-stakes poker game inside the house involving hundreds of thousands of dollars, with payments made via digital currency. They covertly surveyed the residence and found that the gates and wooden doors were unlocked during the gambling.
Months later, they hired 49-year-old Mohammad Hamidon Ahmed, owner of a private security company, to assemble a team to subdue the victims. They agreed on a fee of 1.5 million Malaysian ringgit (about 12.2 million baht) to be shared among the team.
On the night of the crime (18 April 2024), the assailants armed with knives and baseball bats entered through the unlocked door. Present in the house were Li Xiao Yu, a Chinese woman who owned the home and organized the game; her husband Li Yang, the tenant; Hu Zhipeng, a Chinese man staying in the house assisting with the poker game; Mo Ran, a South Korean woman hired as the dealer; and Yap Kian Yap, a Malaysian masseur serving players during the game.
Additionally, seven poker players were present: Andrew Halim from Indonesia, Liu Yi from China, and five Singaporeans — Marcus Yap Jin Xin, Siewsin Abraham Abdullah, Lim Yah Loon, Hu Teng Yang, and Ho Pau Chiang.
The assailants tied and gagged everyone, searched the homeowner’s mobile phone to transfer cryptocurrency to digital wallets controlled by the robbers, and seized cash from a safe, luxury watches from brands like Patek Philippe and Rolex, as well as the keys to a Ferrari.
Stolen assets included approximately 210,000 Singapore dollars in cash and foreign currencies, 40,000 US dollars, UAE dirham currency, and cryptocurrency valued around 3.6 million Singapore dollars, along with other valuables such as luxury watches and electronic equipment.
After the robbery, the culprits fled separately across the border back to Malaysia via the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints. They sold the stolen USDT cryptocurrency for cash in Kuala Lumpur to divide the profits among themselves.
Malaysian police arrested six Malaysian suspects between April and November 2024. Another suspect, 33-year-old Muhammad Yusof Kasim, remains at large and is believed to have fled to Thailand.
Wong Chee Chan and Ko Boon Tong were sentenced to 12 years 11 months imprisonment, 24 strokes of the cane, and fined 4,000 Singapore dollars each. Mohammad Hamidon Ahmed received 10 years 6 months imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane.
Meanwhile, 34-year-olds Kartik Palaniyappan and Muhammad Taufiq Ahmad Fauzi were sentenced to 7 years 8 months imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane. Mohammad Hashim Ismad, 51, was sentenced to 8 years 8 months imprisonment but was exempted from caning due to his age over 50.
Singapore authorities recovered only about 1.69 million Singapore dollars of the stolen assets, with approximately 3.21 million Singapore dollars still missing. The Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore is considering further legal actions against the victims involved in the illegal gambling activities.
/CNA