Andrew Wong The Straits Times Aug 2, 2024 A Chinese national believed to be part of a larger international housebreaking syndicate was arrested for his alleged role in misappropriating valuables worth more than $183,000. Wu Jinxing, 27, was charged over dishonestly retaining properties on July 29. The loot included an Hermes Birkin handbag worth $75,000, three luxury watches and a stash of foreign currencies.
It is believed other foreigners, who are yet to be arrested, are involved in the housebreaking operations. The police told the media on Aug 2 that Wu was arrested in the Rail Corridor near a residential area in Bukit Sedap Road, following a report made by one of the victims on July 27. He was caught while allegedly on the way to retrieve a part of his loot stashed near the forested area in the vicinity.
A day after he was caught in the Holland Drive area, Wu led the authorities to a hotel room near Geylang Road where another batch of valuables was found. On Aug 2 at around 11am, investigation officers took Wu back to the scene around Holland Drive to retrace his steps. The officers first took him to the site where he was arrested when he was allegedly on the way to retrieve his loot on July 27, just behind a residential property.
Wu then led officers to an opening in the forested area about 300m further up the road, where he or his accomplices allegedly stashed another portion of valuables that were found on the same day. His case will be heard in court on Aug 5. The offence for dishonestly retaining stolen properties carries a sentence of up to five years’ jail, a fine, or both.
The police’s annual statistics found theft in dwelling numbers dropped to 1,695 cases in 2023 from 1,729 in 2022. More than half of the cases in 2023, or 854 of them, occurred on residential premises. The police said those cases typically involved items such as cash, jewellery, mobile phones, branded bags and watches.
On July 30, two men were charged over housebreaking and theft after they allegedly broke into a condominium unit in Club Street on July 28. The two men had purportedly stolen some $117,000 worth of cash and luxury goods, including two Rolex watches valued at $23,650 and $19,450, two sets of diamond earrings, luxury handbags, and around $50,000 in cash. A 30-year-old man was also arrested on July 28 for the offence of harbouring one of the two men.
Police investigations are ongoing. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Get more of Stomp's latest updates by following us on Facebook , WhatsApp , Twitter , Instagram and YouTube . Download the new STOMP app today..
