6 men plead guilty to S$4.9 million armed gang robbery at King Albert Park house

6 men plead guilty to S$4.9 million armed gang robbery at King Albert Park house Two of the men hatched a plan to rob the house after learning that a woman regularly held high-stakes poker games there. SINGAPORE: After learning that a woman regularly held high-stakes poker games in her King Albert Park home, two men plotted a gang robbery, hiring muscle from Malaysia and staking out the house before setting their plan in motion. A total of seven men from Malaysia entered the unlocked house in the dead of night with masks, gloves and weapons, before tying the victims up and stealing a total of S$4.9 million (US$3.9 million) in cash, valuables and cryptocurrency. They then drove back across the border with the loot in two cars, but most of them were arrested and taken back to Singapore for prosecution. One man remains at large and is believed to have left Malaysia for Thailand, court documents stated. On Monday (Sep 14), six of the men, all Malaysians, pleaded guilty to various charges, including armed gang robbery. They are: Wong Chi Shan, 35, Goh Boon Tong, 30, Mohd Hamidon Ahmed, 49, Kartik Palaniappan, 34, Mohd Hashim Ismail, 51, and Muhammad Tauffiq Ahmad Fauzi, 34. The prosecution said this was one of the highest-value robberies in Singapore, if not the highest, in nominal terms. A gold bar case in the 1970s would be higher if inflation is accounted for. THE CASE In November 2023, Wong and Goh came to know about high-stakes poker games taking place in a house in King Albert Park as they knew someone who had taken part, court documents said. The stakes ran up to a few hundred thousand dollars, and payment was settled with cryptocurrency, they said. The two men visited the house and observed that the gate was left open and the wooden door unlocked during the poker game. About four months later, in March 2024, Wong suggested committing robbery at the house but he knew that they could not handle the scale of the operation on their own. To get more muscle, Goh hired Hamidon, whom he had met at an event where Hamidon had provided private security. Hamidon ran his own private security firm as well as debt collection services. Wong and Goh met Hamidon to discuss the operation. Hamidon was to hire men to intimidate and subdue the victims in exchange for RM1.5 million (S$467,000), to be split among his team. Hamidon obtained a deposit of RM10,000 before recruiting the rest. He did not give specifics to those he approached initially, but they knew it was illegal. Wong and Goh decided that those committing the robbery would be clad in black, with gloves and ski masks. On Apr 15, 2024, Wong drove into Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint to commit robbery and checked into a hotel. However, despite a poker game ongoing at the house, Hamidon's team was not ready and the robbery did not take place. Meanwhile, Hamidon's team prepared themselves with black clothing, ski masks, gloves, duct tape and cable ties. Goh and Wong drove by the house in King Albert Park on Apr 16, 2024 but there was no poker game going on, so they instructed Hamidon's team to remain in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The following night, a poker game was in progress, so Goh and Wong instructed Hamidon to meet them in a car park in Geylang. Hamidon and his team entered Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint in a vehicle at 10.45pm on Apr 17, 2024. They met Goh and Wong at the car park, where they were shown photos of the house and briefed on the entry route. Machetes and baseball bats were placed in Hamidon's vehicle. Before 2.05am on April 18, 2024, the seven men drove to the house and parked their vehicle outside. Three of them were armed with machetes, while other two carried baseball bats. IN THE HOUSE They entered the house, where a poker game was going on, via the unlocked gate and main door. Those in the house include a female China national who was hosting the game, her husband, a Korean card dealer, and a masseuse hired to massage players. The robbers encountered a man who had just exited the toilet near the main door. They pointed a machete at him and taped his mouth, wrists and ankles before telling him to sit down in the toilet. Moving to the living room, the robbers shouted at the victims to put their hands in the air and place their phones on the table. The fearful victims complied and they were tied up and had their mouths taped while the robbers searched for valuables. Goh and Wong checked the victims' phones for cryptocurrency applications and discovered sizable amounts of crypto in the hostess' phone apps. The group carried out crypto transfers to a wallet they controlled, emptied cash from a safe in the living room and ransacked the bedroom. The seven men then left in their vehicle to another location where they split up with Goh and Wong. As part of their escape plan, Wong and Goh left in their car via Tuas Checkpoint at about 2.15am while the rest left via Woodlands Checkpoint in a second vehicle at about 2.40am. They arranged to regroup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They discarded the weapons and clothing used in the robbery along the way. Meanwhile, the victims managed to free themselves and called the police. They sustained minor injuries from being bound. Of the S$4.9 million stolen, the Singapore Police Force managed to recover only about S$1.69 million. About S$3.21 million has been lost, said lead prosecutor Dillon Kok. Wong and Goh also pleaded guilty to other charges involving sex work by Japanese women. Mr Kok sought various jail terms for the six men, according to their relative culpability, with Wong and Goh pegged at the highest culpability. The jail terms sought by the prosecution range from the lower end of seven years and eight months to 13 years and one month, with 24 strokes of the cane. The case is ongoing, with sentencing expected later on Monday. Wong is represented by Mr Don Tan, while Goh is represented by Mr Thangavelu. Mr James Gomez Jovan Messiah is defending Kartik, while Mr Ariffin Sha represents Hashim. Ms Estelle Tan represents Tauffiq, while Mr S S Dhillon is acting for Hamidon. For armed gang robbery, an offender can be jailed for between five and 20 years and is liable to 24 strokes of the cane.