Six Malaysian men have been jailed after admitting their roles in one of Singapore’s most high-value armed robberies, in which seven masked men stormed a Good Class Bungalow at King Albert Park during a high-stakes poker game and escaped with about S$4.9 million in cash, cryptocurrency and valuables.
The robbery took place in the early hours of April 18, 2024, after the gang spent months learning about poker games held at the Bukit Timah-area property.
Some of the attackers were armed with machetes and baseball bats. They tied up the 11 people inside the bungalow before taking the loot and fleeing Singapore through separate checkpoints.
The seventh suspect remains at large and is believed to be in Thailand.
Six Malaysians receive lengthy jail sentences
The two masterminds, Wong Chi San, 35, and Goh Boon Tong, 30, were each sentenced to 12 years and 11 months’ jail, 24 strokes of the cane and a S$4,000 fine.
Mohd Hamidon Ahmed, 49, who was recruited to provide additional manpower, received 10 years and six months’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane.
Two members of his team, Kartik Palaniappan, 34, and Muhammad Tauffiq Ahmad Fauzi, 34, were each sentenced to seven years and eight months’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane.
Mohd Hashim Ismail, 51, was sentenced to eight years and eight months’ jail. He was not caned because he is above the age of 50.
All six pleaded guilty to armed gang robbery and offences involving the movement of criminal proceeds from Singapore to Malaysia.
The masterminds also admitted to separate vice-related offences.
Gang targeted a private poker game
The gang’s plan began after Wong and Goh learned in November 2023 that high-stakes poker games were regularly being held at the bungalow.
The games involved stakes of up to several hundred thousand dollars, with payments settled using cryptocurrency.
The two men visited the property and noticed that the gate was often left open and the main wooden door unlocked while games were taking place.
They eventually decided the house presented an opportunity for a major robbery.
But they knew they needed more people to overpower those inside.
Goh approached Hamidon, who operated a private security company and was also involved in debt collection.
Wong and Goh offered Hamidon RM1.5 million, equivalent to about S$467,000 at the time, to be divided among his team.
Hamidon then recruited Yusuf, Tauffiq, Hashim and Kartik.
Robbers conducted surveillance before striking
The gang did not immediately carry out the robbery.
Wong and Goh travelled between Singapore and Malaysia while monitoring the property and waiting for a poker game to take place when the full group was ready.
The attackers prepared black clothing, gloves, ski masks, duct tape and cable ties.
Machetes and baseball bats were also obtained.
On April 15, Wong entered Singapore and confirmed that a poker game was taking place. However, Hamidon’s team was not ready, so the robbery was postponed.
The following day, there was no game.
On the night of April 17, however, another poker session was under way.
Hamidon and his team then crossed into Singapore and met Wong and Goh at a car park, where they were briefed and shown photographs of the property.
‘Lightning heist’ unfolds after 2am
Shortly after 2am on April 18, 2024, the seven men arrived at the bungalow.
Three were armed with machetes and two carried baseball bats.
They entered through the unlocked gate and main door while the poker game was still taking place.
There were 11 people inside, including the host of the game, her husband, a person who helped organise the poker sessions, a professional card dealer, a masseuse and seven poker players.
The victims were tied up while the robbers took control of the situation.
The gang then obtained access to cryptocurrency and took cash and other valuables before leaving the property.
The entire operation was carried out rapidly, with the men escaping in two vehicles.
Gang fled Singapore through separate checkpoints
The robbers split up after leaving the bungalow.
They crossed into Malaysia through the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints, carrying the stolen property with them.
The escape made the case particularly challenging because the suspects had already left Singapore when police began their investigation.
Singapore authorities worked with Malaysian law enforcement to identify and locate the suspects.
Several were eventually arrested in Malaysia and handed over to Singapore authorities.
One suspect, Muhammad Yusuf Kassim, 33, remains at large and is believed to have travelled to Thailand.
Only $1.69 million recovered
Despite the arrests and convictions, a significant portion of the stolen fortune remains missing.
Police have recovered cryptocurrency worth approximately S$1.69 million.
That means more than S$3 million of the reported S$4.9 million haul has not been recovered.
The stolen property included cryptocurrency, cash and valuables, making the case unusually complicated from an asset-recovery perspective.
The use of cryptocurrency was particularly significant because the poker games themselves used digital assets to settle bets.
One of Singapore’s biggest robbery cases
Prosecutors described the incident as one of Singapore’s highest-value robberies.
The court heard that, in nominal terms, the S$4.9 million haul was among the largest in Singapore’s history. A robbery involving a gold bar in the 1970s would have been worth more after accounting for inflation.
The scale of the operation, the use of weapons and the gang’s cross-border planning also made it an unusually serious organised crime case.
The sentences reflect the courts’ view of the planning, violence and coordination involved.
The case exposes the risks of high-stakes private gambling
The robbery also drew attention to the private poker games taking place at the bungalow.
The games involved large amounts of money and cryptocurrency, while the gang learned about them through someone who had previously participated.
The attackers then exploited what they had observed about the property’s security arrangements.
For the prosecution, the case demonstrated how information about valuable gatherings can create opportunities for organised criminals when security is inadequate.
For Singapore, the convictions bring the main chapter of the King Albert Park heist to a close — but the whereabouts of more than S$3 million in stolen assets and the remaining suspect remain unresolved.
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