6 jailed over $4.9m armed robbery, involving machetes, during poker game at King Albert Park GCB

SINGAPORE - Seven masked men stormed into a good class bungalow (GCB) at King Albert Park in 2024, while a high-stakes poker game was going on, and tied up the 11 people in the house.

The robbers, some of whom were armed with machetes and baseball bats, made off with $4.9 million in valuables, mostly in cryptocurrency, and left Singapore immediately in two cars via separate checkpoints.

On Sept 14, six of the men, all Malaysians, each pleaded guilty to a charge of armed gang robbery and a charge of money laundering for moving the loot from Singapore to Malaysia.

The seventh suspect is at large.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok told the High Court the poker game on April 18, 2024, was hosted by a Chinese national whose husband was the tenant of the house.

A South Korean national was engaged as the card dealer, a Chinese national assisted with the game, while a Malaysian provided massage services to the seven players.

They comprised Singaporeans, an Indonesian, and a Chinese national.

The stakes ran up to several hundred thousand dollars and payment was settled by cryptocurrency.

The GCB’s gate would be left open and the wooden door unlocked while the game was going on.

The prosecutor said the plan for the heist was conceived by Wong Chi San, 35, and Goh Boon Tong, 30.

They engaged more “muscle” to help carry out the robbery, and roped in Mohd Hamidon Ahmed, 29, who worked in private security.

They promised him $1.5 million ringgit to be split among his team.

Hamidon recruited Kartik Palaniappan, 24, Mohd Hashim Ismail, 51, and Muhammad Tauffiq Ahmad Fauzi, 34.

Goh and Wong headed to Singapore to determine the opportune time to strike.

They booked an apartment in Johor Bahru to house the team, and planned to commit the robbery clad in black with gloves and ski masks.

Hamidon told Goh he would prepare duct tape and cable ties.

On April 15, 2024, Wong and Goh drove by the GCB and confirmed that a game was ongoing but Hamidon’s team had not arrived in Singapore.

On the night of April 17, 2024, Goh and Wong alerted Hamidon to bring his team after ascertaining that a game was in progress.

Past 2am, they entered the house via an unlocked gate and tied up the people inside.

After securing the crypto transfers and robbing the victims of cash and valuables, the robbers left the GCB.