SINGAPORE: Two Chinese nationals suspected of housebreaking were on Friday (Dec 27) given a fresh charge each of robbing a house in Pasir Panjang.
Zhang Yongxiang, 52, and Feng Yunlong, 38, are accused of breaking into a house at Zehnder Road by climbing over the property’s perimeter wall on Dec 18.
They allegedly did this to steal cash and a wallet valued at about S$6,000 (US$4,400), as well as 13 necklaces and other jewellery, the value of which has not been determined.
Zhang and Feng were charged last week with breaking into a house at Greenleaf View in the Holland Road area by pushing open a sliding window on Dec 16.
They allegedly took a Cartier watch valued at S$8,800 and a Casio watch worth about S$150.
On Friday, the court granted the prosecution’s application for both men to be remanded for another week, with permission to be taken out for investigations.
The police prosecutor said the men were needed in custody for raids and scene visits.
They will return to court on Jan 3, 2025.
Police previously said they have not ruled out the possibility that Zhang and Feng were linked to a housebreaking syndicate that was active in the middle of the year.
A spate of burglaries in landed estates between June and August was believed to be linked to foreign syndicates involving Chinese nationals.
Ten cases were reported in private estates around the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road, with stolen jewels across the cases valued at S$3.85 million.
Earlier this month, Wu Jinxing, a 28-year-old Chinese national who flew to Singapore to collect housebreaking loot in July, was jailed for his role in the criminal enterprise.
Two other Chinese nationals, Long Zhihua, 38, and Luo Changchang, 44, admitted to stealing S$570,100 worth of jewellery from a house along Windsor Park Road. The bulk of the loot was not recovered.
The punishment for housebreaking is a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.
