Six Malaysian men have been sentenced to prison over an armed robbery at a Singapore high-stakes poker game where the group stole roughly S$4.9 million in cryptocurrency, cash and luxury goods. According to reports from Channel NewsAsia, all six pleaded guilty on September 14 to armed gang robbery and money-laundering charges tied to moving the stolen property from Singapore into Malaysia. Wong Chi San, 35, and Goh Boon Tong, 30, received the longest terms at 12 years and 11 months each, along with 24 strokes of the cane and S$4,000 fines. The final loss figure presented in court was higher than the amount first disclosed by authorities, with the Singapore Police Force's original May 2024 statement estimating S$4.34 million stolen from 11 victims.
As reported by Channel NewsAsia, police recovered approximately S$1.69 million, leaving close to S$3.21 million of stolen property unrecovered after sentencing. Lead prosecutor Dillon Kok told the court that cryptocurrency accounted for most of the property taken during the April 18, 2024 robbery. The stolen cryptocurrency from the hostess was estimated at approximately S$3.6 million, while other victims lost S$210,000 in Singapore currency, roughly US$40,000 in cash, S$55,500 worth of Emirati dirham and a Patek Philippe watch valued above S$500,000. Goh's lawyer told the court that he helped authorities recover around 800,000 USDT from approximately 1.1 million USDT transferred to him after the robbery. The stolen luxury items included a Patek Philippe worth more than S$500,000, two Rolex watches worth over S$55,000 each, and a Richard Mille watch valued at S$320,000.
According to court documents reported by Channel NewsAsia, Wong and Goh learned in November 2023 that high-stakes poker games were being hosted at the King Albert Park property, with stakes reaching several hundred thousand dollars and players sometimes settling payments using cryptocurrency. After visiting the property, the pair observed that its gate and wooden door could be left unlocked while games were underway. The gang prepared masks, gloves, duct tape, cable ties, machetes, and baseball bats for the operation. On the night of April 18, seven masked men entered the property, three carrying machetes and two having baseball bats. The group restrained the 11 people inside, taped their mouths and searched their phones for cryptocurrency applications, with Wong and Goh finding substantial digital-asset balances on the hostess' phone and directing transfers to a wallet they controlled. The robbers escaped through Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints before regrouping in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where they later divided the proceeds among themselves.
Justice Aidan Xu described the robbery as "carefully planned" and said it had "disrupted the peace and security." According to Channel NewsAsia, Hamidon, 49, received 10 years and six months in prison and 24 strokes, while Kartik Palaniappan, 34, and Muhammad Tauffiq Ahmad Fauzi, 34, were each sentenced to seven years and eight months and 24 strokes. Mohd Hashim Ismail, 51, received eight years and eight months in prison but could not be caned due to his age. Defense lawyers argued that some recruited men received much smaller shares of the proceeds, with lawyers for Kartik and Hashim saying each received RM100,000, while Tauffiq's counsel said he had limited knowledge of the detailed plan. The case demonstrated how criminals can exploit small details, from an unlocked door to information about valuable gatherings, highlighting the need for basic security measures even in Singapore's strong public safety environment.
As reported by Channel NewsAsia, the six men ultimately prosecuted in Singapore were arrested in Malaysia between April and November 2024. A seventh suspect, Muhammad Yusuf Kassim, 33, had not been arrested when the sentences were imposed, with court documents citing that Yusuf was believed to have left Malaysia for Thailand and remained at large. The Singapore case involved physical coercion to force cryptocurrency transfers, a crime type blockchain investigators frequently refer to as a wrench attack. Chainalysis reported in August that more than $30 million had been successfully stolen through violent crypto attacks worldwide during the first half of 2026, with home invasions accounting for 37% of cases.
