Four foreigners charged with possessing housebreaking tools after Rail Corridor manhunt

SINGAPORE: Four foreigners were charged on Sunday (Aug 10) with possessing housebreaking tools, following a one-day police manhunt at 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 police said on Sunday.

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 Singapore between April and July, the police said, adding that investigations are underway.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (AC) 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, said AC Chiu, who is the commander of the police’s Clementi Division.

On the same day, police conducted an operation targeting housebreaking activities near the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road.

They noted that suspects would typically exploit the forested areas along the Rail Corridor to conceal their movements, while attempting to commit housebreaking activities. 

The joint operation involved officers from the Clementi Police Division, Police Operations Command Centre, Police Intelligence Department, Gurkha Contingent, Special Operations Command and the Home Team Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Command.

Two suspects were arrested at the forested areas near the Rail Corridor on Friday. The third suspect was nabbed at a mall near Clementi that same night, while the fourth suspect was arrested the following morning at a hotel in Geylang.

Various housebreaking tools such as screwdrivers and spanners, clothing and cash amounting to more than S$400 (US$296) were found in the possession of the suspects and seized for investigations. 

The cash was likely their own, and there was no evidence to suggest they were able to commit a crime before they were arrested, said the police.

All four have been remanded, with permission granted to take them out for investigations.

If convicted, they may be fined and face a jail term of up to two years.