Singapore police bust suspected Chinese housebreaking syndicate

Four foreigners were charged on Sunday with possessing housebreaking tools, following a one-day police manhunt in the forested areas along the Rail Corridor near Greenleaf estate in Bukit Timah.

The four men are from China and are believed to be linked to housebreaking foreign syndicates involving Chinese nationals, the Singapore police said.

The accused persons are: He Jiao, 38; Zhou Qifa, 36; Yang Chao, 41; and Zhou Yinggui, 36.

They may be connected to other housebreaking-related cases reported in the city state between April and July, the police said, adding that investigations are under way.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Serene Chiu said the four men had entered Singapore on social passes on Friday. They had allegedly arrived from Malaysia via the Woodlands Checkpoint.

For three of the men, this was not their first time entering Singapore, Chiu said, who is the commander of the police’s Clementi Division.