S'porean gang leader, 37, on the run since 2022 arrested while stuck in traffic, gets jail & caning

A gang headman with a long string of criminal offences behind him was sentenced on Oct. 2 to nine years and 12 weeks’ imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane.

After having spent nearly a year and a half on the run, Muhammad Idris Musbah, 37, was finally arrested in May 2024 after a dramatic traffic stop on Admiralty Road.

Recognised by a car salesman who suspected him of using a cloned licence plate, Idris attempted to flee from approaching police officers but crashed into a lorry.

Police capture

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the incident happened on May 28 2024 at around 6:36pm.

Idris was driving along Admiralty Road in a rented vehicle.

As he happened to stop near a junction, he noticed a member of the public pointing at him, and that police vehicles were approaching his location.

He panicked as he was driving without a license and decided to drive away suddenly, crashing into a lorry.

The police officers then approached his vehicle and arrested him.

He was found carrying a knife, baton, and knuckleduster, as well as controlled drugs.

On Oct. 2, Idris pleaded guilty to nine charges, with 24 others taken into consideration.

His offences spanned from being a secret society member, drugs and weapons possession to theft.

Gang leader of a secret society

Far from a one-time offender, Idris has been on law enforcement’s radar for years.

Idris was the headman of the secret society that operated in a block at Teck Whye Lane.

He joined the gang as a teenager around the 2000s after being recruited by an older schoolmate, and rose through the ranks to become the leader.

In January 2022, Idris mobilised 11 gang members to support him during a settlement talk with a rival gang.

He ordered them to arm themselves with knives, a dagger, a baseball bat and a karambit, and to wait nearby in case violence broke out.

He then left on his motorcycle.

Although the dispute was settled peacefully, the gang later posed for group photographs while brandishing weapons and flashing hand signs after having dinner together.

A passer-by alerted the police, leading to arrests.

Idris himself was later traced and charged with unlawful assembly with a deadly weapon under the Penal Code.

Drugs and relapse

Just two months later (March 2022), while on bail, Idris was arrested in Bukit Batok with 11 packets of crystalline substances containing at least 16.82g of methamphetamine.

Investigators also recovered drug-taking paraphernalia, digital weighing scales and cash.

Idris admitted that the drugs were in his possession for his own consumption.

He admitted that he had relapsed into smoking “ice” in 2021, consuming it three to four times a week.

This was not his first brush with narcotics.

In 2015, Idris had already been convicted of drug possession and consumption and was sentenced to prison and caning.

The earlier record made him liable for enhanced punishment.

A pre-trial conference was set for Sep. 9 2022, however he absconded.

A warrant of arrest was issued, but Idris remained at large until his capture nearly one and a half years later.

On the run

During this period, Idris resorted to petty crimes.

Between March and May 2024, he stole petrol on 10 occasions across Singapore, driving off without payment.

In total, he siphoned S$1,183 worth of fuel from various stations.

Investigators also uncovered his involvement in a 2023 scam-related case.

Idris admitted that, in exchange for S$1,000 in “fast cash,” he had handed over his Singpass login to an acquaintance.

He had spent the money he received on his own expenses.

Unknown to him, two CIMB bank accounts were opened in his name and later used to launder S$61,529 in criminal proceeds.

He was charged under the Computer Misuse Act for unauthorised disclosure of access credentials.

Sentencing

Idris pleaded guilty to offences including drug trafficking, driving without a valid licence, and weapons charges.

The remaining 24 charges were also taken into consideration for his sentencing.

The judge disqualified him from driving for 48 months after his release as well.

At his sentencing on Oct. 2, District Judge Eddy Tham, according to The Straits Times, expressed hope that Idris would use his time in prison to transform:

“He cannot change his past, but he definitely has the choice and the power to make a better future.”

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Top images via Singapore Road Accident/Facebook, Court documents