SINGAPORE: 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.
Based on preliminary investigations, the syndicates are believed to operate in small groups and would break into residences by scaling the perimeter walls or fences.
The suspects are believed to be transient travellers who had entered Singapore as Social Visit Pass holders, usually one to two days before committing the offence, said the police.
After committing the crime, they would leave the scene and attempt to depart the country as soon as possible to avoid detection.
Most of their targets were observed to be near park connectors or forested areas, which provided cover for their activities. The loot was also sometimes concealed in the nearby forested areas and later retrieved by accomplices.
SUDDEN SPIKE IN CASES
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.
Three suspects have since been arrested and charged in court. Long Zhihua, 38, and Luo Changchang, 43, were charged on Jun 28, while Wu Jinxing was charged on Jul 29.
