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

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.