They were found to have housebreaking tools such as screwdrivers, spanners, clothing and cash that totalled more than $400. ST PHOTOS: DESMOND FOO, SHINTARO TAY
SINGAPORE - The four men who were arrested on Aug 8 in Bukit Timah after a police search operation are believed to be linked to housebreaking syndicates involving Chinese nationals.
The quartet will be charged on Aug 10 for possession of housebreaking implements. If convicted, they could face a jail term of up to two years and a fine.
A police operation near the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road was ongoing when the four men were spotted behaving suspiciously in a park. They fled into a forested area after being approached by the police.
The police said on Aug 10 they were conducting an operation against housebreaking as housebreakers would typically exploit the forested areas along the Rail Corridor to conceal their movements as they attempt to break into homes.
Within two hours, two of the men were arrested in the forested area.
The third man was arrested at a mall near Clementi the same night, while the fourth was arrested the next morning at a hotel in Geylang.
They were found to have housebreaking tools such as screwdrivers, spanners, clothing and cash that totalled more than $400.
The four men, who are from the Guizhou province in China, entered Singapore by Woodlands Checkpoint on social visit passes on Aug 8.
Police officers were stationed in the vicinity of Greenleaf Place on the night of Aug 8. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
The police said the men could be linked to other housebreaking-related cases reported in Singapore between April and July.
It has stepped up measures to prevent housebreaking and theft in private residential estates since June 2024, such as placing more police cameras and having frequent patrols.
The police urged residents to adopt crime prevention measures such as installing CCTVs and burglar alarm systems.
The commander of Clementi division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Serene Chiu, at a press conference about break-ins, at Clementi Police Division headquarters on Aug 10. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
The commander of Clementi division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Serene Chiu, said: “Through effective coordination and sense-making by the police, the four men were arrested in less than 24 hours from the time they entered Singapore, and before they could commit housebreaking.”
Isabelle Liew is a journalist at The Straits Times. She covers housing issues in Singapore, with a focus on public housing.
Police search operation spotted in forested area near Greenleaf Place in Bukit Timah
Police officers were observed searching a forested area near Greenleaf Place in Bukit Timah on the night of Aug 8. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
Police trucks were seen near Greenleaf Place in Bukit Timah on the morning of Aug 8. PHOTO: ST READER
SINGAPORE – Officers, including Gurkha servicemen, dog-unit personnel and plain-clothes policemen, were seen searching a forested area near Greenleaf Place in Bukit Timah on the night of Aug 8.
Greenleaf Place is a quiet cul-de-sac lined with landed houses in a private residential estate.
A resident who lives in nearby Sixth Avenue, and who wished to remain anonymous, told The Straits Times that on the night of Aug 8 “there were police cars parked near the entrance of my street, with about six police vehicles farther down the road”.
She added that the police were present from about 7pm on Aug 8 and were still there as at 8am on Aug 9. She also noticed that several police trucks, which were not there on the night of Aug 8, arrived later.
When ST contacted her again at around 11.30am on Aug 9, she said the police vehicles were no longer in the area.
On the night of Aug 8, she said her husband saw officers standing in the street, a rare sight in the neighbourhood. She noted that the police cars had their flashing lights on throughout the night, but no sirens were heard. The officers did not appear to be speaking with any of the residents in the vicinity, she added.
Although she usually closes her gates and windows and was not worried about safety, she found the visible police presence unusual.
Police officers were stationed in the vicinity of Greenleaf Place on the night of Aug 8. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
When ST visited the scene at about 10.50pm on Aug 8, three police cars and a van were parked in the area.
A drone was seen flying over the forest nearby. Police officers were stationed at every junction of the small roads leading to the vicinity.
By close to midnight, three of the four vehicles, including the van, left the scene as the operation appeared to be winding down.
At about 12.30am on Aug 9, only one police car remained parked there. A police car was also seen parked at a bus stop in Holland Road, the main street adjacent to the forested area.
A security guard working at a condominium in the estate told ST that she saw both police and personnel in military fatigues in the area.
The woman, who did not want to be named, added that the police and army vehicles were parked along the street throughout the night and that the operation appeared to have ended at around 8.30am on Aug 9.
ST has contacted the police for more information.