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Six PRC who saw videos on social media from China portraying Singapore as a wealthy country believed it would be easy to make quick money, so they flew in as a group and targeted luxury landed homes in Bukit Timah for burglary. After stealing more than S$57,000 worth of valuables, three of them have now been jailed for over five years each.
The men, all from Guizhou, China, were part of a six-man burglary syndicate. Three members — He Jiao, 38, Zhou Qifa, 37, and Yang Chao, 42 — pleaded guilty in a Singapore court on April 30, 2026, and were sentenced to between 63 and 65 months in prison. A fourth accomplice, Zhou Yinggui, 36, is contesting the charges and will be dealt with separately, while two others, Zhou Ji and Hu Wen, are still on the run.
According to court documents, the group began plotting the crimes in July 2025 after repeatedly seeing online content showing how affluent life in Singapore was. Convinced they could easily “strike it rich,” they decided to travel from Malaysia into Singapore and break into upscale detached houses before escaping the country.
On July 16 last year, five of them entered Singapore and split into two teams to scout for suitable targets. They agreed that any stolen loot would be shared equally. Their ideal targets were bungalows that appeared unoccupied at night, had no lights on, no CCTV surveillance, no alarm systems and no guard dogs.
To locate isolated wealthy neighborhoods, He Jiao studied maps of Singapore and identified clusters of landed homes. The teams then used private-hire cars to travel to various estates in search of vulnerable properties.
After failing to find a target during the first two nights, they struck on the third night, July 18, when Yang Chao and Hu Wen selected a bungalow at Greenleaf Rise in Bukit Timah.
Once they confirmed no one was around, Hu Wen climbed over the wall, used a ladder found in the yard to reach the second floor, and forced open a bedroom window with a screwdriver before entering the master bedroom. Hu, who had prior construction experience, had purchased screwdrivers for the team because he knew how to pry open doors and windows.
While Hu searched inside the house, Yang stood guard outside. Hu eventually located a safe, threw it over the fence, and the pair dragged it into a nearby wooded area. There, Hu spent about 15 minutes prying it open.
They made off with valuables worth S$57,395, including multiple foreign currencies and jewellery.
The homeowner was overseas at the time, with only a domestic helper in the house. She discovered the break-in the next morning and alerted a neighbour, who then called police. Officers recovered the discarded safe and some items left behind, but the suspects had already fled Singapore with the stolen property.
Came Back Again — Unaware Police Were Waiting
Encouraged by the successful burglary, He Jiao, Zhou Qifa and Zhou Ji returned to Singapore just days later on July 22 for another attempt.
Using the same method, they scouted landed homes near the MacRitchie Reservoir area. However, they found most houses brightly lit or equipped with CCTV cameras, and nearly ran into patrolling officers. After two unsuccessful nights, they gave up and left Singapore on July 24.
But they still did not stop.
He Jiao, Zhou Qifa and Yang Chao decided to make a third trip, this time recruiting fellow villager Zhou Yinggui.
On August 8, the four men again split into two teams and headed to landed housing estates near the Bukit Timah Rail Corridor to look for targets.
What they did not know was that Singapore Police had already received intelligence that the suspects had re-entered the country. Officers from the Gurkha Contingent and other police units launched a covert dragnet operation across the Holland–Bukit Timah area and lay in wait.
At about 8pm that night, He Jiao was arrested first near the Rail Corridor.
Zhou Qifa initially escaped and boarded a bus, but was tracked down and arrested in Clementi 40 minutes later.
Yang Chao and Zhou Yinggui were later spotted wandering inside a wooded area. Yang was arrested on the spot, while Zhou fled and checked into a hotel before being arrested the next morning.
Jail Terms Handed Down
Yang Chao pleaded guilty to one count of housebreaking, one count of possessing housebreaking tools, and one count under Singapore’s Organised Crime Act. He was sentenced to 63 months in jail.
Zhou Qifa and He Jiao admitted to two counts of conspiracy to commit housebreaking, one count of possessing housebreaking tools, and one organised crime charge. Zhou received 65 months, while He was jailed for 63 months.
Judge: Singapore Will Punish Foreign Criminals Severely
In sentencing, the judge stressed that Singapore is a safe, law-governed country and its residents’ peace of mind must not be threatened by foreigners who view the nation as an easy hunting ground.
He warned that anyone who comes to Singapore to commit crimes will face the full force of the law.
Source: zaobao
The men, all from Guizhou, China, were part of a six-man burglary syndicate. Three members — He Jiao, 38, Zhou Qifa, 37, and Yang Chao, 42 — pleaded guilty in a Singapore court on April 30, 2026, and were sentenced to between 63 and 65 months in prison. A fourth accomplice, Zhou Yinggui, 36, is contesting the charges and will be dealt with separately, while two others, Zhou Ji and Hu Wen, are still on the run.
According to court documents, the group began plotting the crimes in July 2025 after repeatedly seeing online content showing how affluent life in Singapore was. Convinced they could easily “strike it rich,” they decided to travel from Malaysia into Singapore and break into upscale detached houses before escaping the country.
On July 16 last year, five of them entered Singapore and split into two teams to scout for suitable targets. They agreed that any stolen loot would be shared equally. Their ideal targets were bungalows that appeared unoccupied at night, had no lights on, no CCTV surveillance, no alarm systems and no guard dogs.
To locate isolated wealthy neighborhoods, He Jiao studied maps of Singapore and identified clusters of landed homes. The teams then used private-hire cars to travel to various estates in search of vulnerable properties.
After failing to find a target during the first two nights, they struck on the third night, July 18, when Yang Chao and Hu Wen selected a bungalow at Greenleaf Rise in Bukit Timah.
Once they confirmed no one was around, Hu Wen climbed over the wall, used a ladder found in the yard to reach the second floor, and forced open a bedroom window with a screwdriver before entering the master bedroom. Hu, who had prior construction experience, had purchased screwdrivers for the team because he knew how to pry open doors and windows.
While Hu searched inside the house, Yang stood guard outside. Hu eventually located a safe, threw it over the fence, and the pair dragged it into a nearby wooded area. There, Hu spent about 15 minutes prying it open.
They made off with valuables worth S$57,395, including multiple foreign currencies and jewellery.
The homeowner was overseas at the time, with only a domestic helper in the house. She discovered the break-in the next morning and alerted a neighbour, who then called police. Officers recovered the discarded safe and some items left behind, but the suspects had already fled Singapore with the stolen property.
Came Back Again — Unaware Police Were Waiting
Encouraged by the successful burglary, He Jiao, Zhou Qifa and Zhou Ji returned to Singapore just days later on July 22 for another attempt.
Using the same method, they scouted landed homes near the MacRitchie Reservoir area. However, they found most houses brightly lit or equipped with CCTV cameras, and nearly ran into patrolling officers. After two unsuccessful nights, they gave up and left Singapore on July 24.
But they still did not stop.
He Jiao, Zhou Qifa and Yang Chao decided to make a third trip, this time recruiting fellow villager Zhou Yinggui.
On August 8, the four men again split into two teams and headed to landed housing estates near the Bukit Timah Rail Corridor to look for targets.
What they did not know was that Singapore Police had already received intelligence that the suspects had re-entered the country. Officers from the Gurkha Contingent and other police units launched a covert dragnet operation across the Holland–Bukit Timah area and lay in wait.
At about 8pm that night, He Jiao was arrested first near the Rail Corridor.
Zhou Qifa initially escaped and boarded a bus, but was tracked down and arrested in Clementi 40 minutes later.
Yang Chao and Zhou Yinggui were later spotted wandering inside a wooded area. Yang was arrested on the spot, while Zhou fled and checked into a hotel before being arrested the next morning.
Jail Terms Handed Down
Yang Chao pleaded guilty to one count of housebreaking, one count of possessing housebreaking tools, and one count under Singapore’s Organised Crime Act. He was sentenced to 63 months in jail.
Zhou Qifa and He Jiao admitted to two counts of conspiracy to commit housebreaking, one count of possessing housebreaking tools, and one organised crime charge. Zhou received 65 months, while He was jailed for 63 months.
Judge: Singapore Will Punish Foreign Criminals Severely
In sentencing, the judge stressed that Singapore is a safe, law-governed country and its residents’ peace of mind must not be threatened by foreigners who view the nation as an easy hunting ground.
He warned that anyone who comes to Singapore to commit crimes will face the full force of the law.
Source: zaobao
