The Aug. 15 raid on a Good Class Bungalow in Ewart Park has unsettled the residents in the affluent estate.
The raid was part of a crackdown on a money-laundering syndicate whose members reside in Singapore, which yielded 10 foreign nationals, who were charged on Aug. 16.
The most heart-stopping part of the operation was the Ewart Park raid where a Cypriot, Su Haijin, 40, put up a struggle and broke his hands and legs while attempting to escape from the second floor to the ground floor.
Ewart Park neighbourhood on high alert
A resident in Ewart Park, who declined to be named, told Mothership that the neighbourhood has been on high alert since the raid.
Residents have asked the police to step up patrolling in the area as other criminals are still at large. As of Aug. 17, eight other persons were wanted by the police.
“Between us, as neighbours, we’ll also just be sure to report any suspect activity and look out for each other,” said the resident.
The resident said that last week, they noticed a delivery van parked outside their house on several different days.
“A family member was about to call the police but it disappeared. A day or two later, the raid happened.”
Thought it was a robbery
The raid was dramatic, according to eyewitnesses.
The resident and their spouse were woken up by the sounds of people yelling.
The arrest took place at about 7am.
“I got up first and looked out our window and saw some men dressed in black with balaclavas on and some more regular looking men with lanyards,” said the resident, adding that the men in balaclavas were holding on to an injured man, who has been identified as Su.
“My immediate thought was that it was a robbery or gang activity and I called 999! My spouse even shouted at them to leave as we’d called the police!”
Later, a man with a lanyard approached the couple and identified himself as a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer.
Some time later, uniformed personnel arrived at the scene along with an ambulance.
The resident subsequently heard from friends that raids had occurred in other parts of the island.
S$831 million worth of properties issued with prohibition of disposal orders
In an update issued on Aug. 18, the police said that following the arrest of the 10 foreign nationals, it also issued prohibition of disposal orders on 105 properties that are linked to the people under investigation, including those who are still wanted by the police.
The prohibition of disposal order prevents the owners of the properties from dealing with the assets, for instance, by selling them.
The police said:
“The value of these 105 properties is estimated at S$831 million. These properties are owned by the persons under investigation (who either had been arrested or are wanted by the police), their spouses, or companies that are linked to these persons under investigation or their spouses. They include seven detached bungalows at Sentosa Cove, 79 condominium units (including 19 units under construction), and 19 commercial/industrial spaces.”
The Good Class Bungalows where some of the foreign nationals were arrested are not part of the 105 properties because they were not owned by them.
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Top photo via Google Maps
