6 men plead guilty to S$4.9 million armed gang robbery at King Albert Park house - CNA

Two of the men hatched a plan to rob the house after learning that a woman regularly held high-stakes poker games there.

Two of the armed robbers: Muhammad Tauffiq Ahmad Fauzi (left) and Goh Boon Tong. (Photos: Singapore Police Force) New: You can now listen to articles. This audio is generated by an AI tool.

Lydia Lam 14 Sep 2026 01:10PM (Updated: 14 Sep 2026 02:11PM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SINGAPORE: After learning that a woman regularly hosted high-stakes poker games at her home in Singapore's affluent Bukit Timah area, two men plotted to rob the house, recruiting a group of people from Malaysia and conducting surveillance before carrying out the plan.

Seven men entered the King Albert Park house in the early hours of Apr 18, 2024, some of them armed with machetes and baseball bats. They tied up the people inside and stole about S$4.9 million (US$3.9 million) in cash, valuables and cryptocurrency.

The men then fled Singapore with the loot in two cars, crossing the border into Malaysia through the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints.

Most of the group were subsequently arrested and brought back to Singapore to face prosecution. One man remains at large and is believed to have left Malaysia for Thailand, court documents stated.

On Monday (Sep 14), six of the men, all Malaysians, pleaded guilty to various charges, including armed gang robbery.

They are: Wong Chi Shan, 35, Goh Boon Tong, 30, Mohd Hamidon Ahmed, 49, Kartik Palaniappan, 34, Mohd Hashim Ismail, 51, and Muhammad Tauffiq Ahmad Fauzi, 34.

The prosecution said this was one of the highest-value robberies in Singapore, if not the highest, in nominal terms. A gold bar case in the 1970s would be higher if inflation is accounted for.

In November 2023, Wong and Goh learned that high-stakes poker games were being held at a house in the King Albert Park area, where many landed properties and Good Class Bungalows are located.

They knew someone who had taken part in the games, court documents stated.

The games involved stakes of up to a few hundred thousand dollars, with payments settled using cryptocurrency, the court heard.

Wong and Goh visited the house and observed that the gate was left open and the wooden door unlocked during the poker game.

About four months later, in March 2024, Wong suggested robbing the house. But he and Goh knew they would need more people to carry out the plan.

Goh approached Hamidon, whom he had met at an event where Hamidon had provided private security. Hamidon ran his own private security firm as well as debt collection services.

Wong and Goh met Hamidon to discuss the operation. Hamidon was to recruit men to intimidate and subdue the victims in exchange for RM1.5 million (S$467,000), which would be split among his team.

Hamidon obtained a deposit of RM10,000 before recruiting the others. He did not initially tell them the details of the operation, but they knew it involved illegal activity.

Wong and Goh decided the robbers would wear black clothing, gloves and ski masks.

On Apr 15, 2024, Wong drove into Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint and checked into a hotel. However, despite a poker game ongoing at the house, Hamidon's team was not ready and the robbery did not take place.

Meanwhile, Hamidon's team prepared themselves with black clothing, ski masks, gloves, duct tape and cable ties.

The following day, Wong and Goh drove past the house but found that no poker game was taking place. They instructed Hamidon's team to remain in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

The next night, however, a poker game was in progress. 

Goh and Wong instructed Hamidon to meet them at a car park in Geylang. Hamidon and his team entered Singapore through Woodlands Checkpoint in a vehicle at about 10.45pm on Apr 17.

They met Wong and Goh at the car park, where they were shown photographs of the house and briefed on how to enter it. Machetes and baseball bats were placed in Hamidon's vehicle.

Before 2.05am on Apr 18, 2024, the seven men drove to the house and parked outside.

Three of them were armed with machetes, while other two carried baseball bats.

The men entered through the unlocked gate and main door while the poker game was still taking place.

Those in the house included a Chinese national who was hosting the game, her husband, a Korean card dealer and a masseuse hired to massage players.

The robbers first encountered a man who had just exited the toilet near the main door. They pointed a machete at him and taped his mouth, wrists and ankles before telling him to sit in the toilet.

The robbers then moved into the living room and ordered the victims to put their hands in the air and place their phones on a table.

The victims complied. They were tied up and had their mouths taped while the robbers searched the house for valuables.

Goh and Wong checked the victims' phones for cryptocurrency applications and discovered sizable amounts of crypto in the hostess' phone apps.

The group carried out crypto transfers to a wallet they controlled, emptied cash from a safe in the living room and ransacked a bedroom.

The seven men then left in their vehicle to another location where they split up with Goh and Wong.

As part of their escape plan, Wong and Goh left in their car via Tuas Checkpoint at about 2.15am while the rest left via Woodlands Checkpoint in a second vehicle at about 2.40am. They arranged to regroup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

They discarded the weapons and clothing used in the robbery along the way.

Meanwhile, the victims managed to free themselves and called the police. They sustained minor injuries from being bound.

Of the S$4.9 million stolen, the Singapore Police Force managed to recover only about S$1.69 million. About S$3.21 million has been lost, said lead prosecutor Dillon Kok.

Wong and Goh also pleaded guilty to other charges involving sex work by Japanese women.

Mr Kok sought various jail terms for the six men, according to their relative culpability, with Wong and Goh pegged at the highest culpability.

The jail terms sought by the prosecution range from the lower end of seven years and eight months to 13 years and one month, with 24 strokes of the cane.

The case is ongoing, with sentencing expected later on Monday.

Wong is represented by Mr Don Tan, while Goh is represented by Mr Thangavelu. Mr James Gomez Jovan Messiah is defending Kartik, while Mr Ariffin Sha represents Hashim. Ms Estelle Tan represents Tauffiq, while Mr S S Dhillon is acting for Hamidon.For armed gang robbery, an offender can be jailed for between five and 20 years and is liable to 24 strokes of the cane.