4 Chinese nationals arrested, believed to be linked to foreign housebreaking syndicate

The police have arrested four Chinese nationals for possessing housebreaking tools such as screwdrivers and spanners near Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road.

The police are looking into their possible involvement in three housebreaking-related cases reported between April and July 2025 in the residential estates near Rail Corridor.

The men, aged between 36 and 41, were caught during a police operation against housebreaking in the area on Aug. 8.

Two were caught in a forested area in Rail Corridor — one almost immediately, and the other within one to two hours.

The third man was arrested at a mall near Clementi on the night of Aug. 8, while the last was arrested the next morning at a hotel in Geylang.

Suspicious behaviour

Speaking at a media briefing, the police said that the men appeared highly suspicious and unlike typical park visitors.

Some fled upon seeing the police, they added.

Apart from the housebreaking implements, they were also found to be carrying clothing, gloves, and cash amounting to more than S$400 in their bags.

"They were very evasive, trying to conceal their own movements," the police said.

The items, along with their passports retrieved from the men's hotel rooms, have been seized for investigations.

On social visit passes

All four men came from Guizhou, China, and arrived in Singapore on Aug. 8 on a social visit pass.

They entered the country from Malaysia through Woodlands Checkpoint, which the police believe explains why ringgit had been found on them.

Three of the four had entered Singapore before.

There are also reasons to believe the men are known to each other, the police said.

They are believed to have went to Rail Corridor around the same time on the same day, despite arriving separately.

The police added there was no reason to suspect that the suspects had committed any crimes such as housebreaking before they were apprehended.

Believed to be linked to housebreaking syndicates

The men are believed to be linked to housebreaking foreign syndicates involving Chinese nationals.

Such syndicates were previously suspected to be involved in 10 housebreaking cases in 2024, most of them occurring in the Rail Corridor vicinity.

However, these four men were not on the list of 14 individuals the police had been searching in relation to those 2024 cases.

Since June 2024, the police have stepped up enforcement to deter housebreaking and theft in private residential estates.

These measures include placing additional police cameras at strategic locations and conducting frequent police patrols.

The four men arrested will be charged in court on Aug. 10 for the possession of housebreaking implements.

If convicted, they may be fined and sentenced to imprisonment for up to two years.

Top images by Wu Xueting/Mothership