A private high stakes poker game, information about a huge amount of money and cryptocurrencies, and a plan prepared to take advantage of it ended up behind one of the most striking robberies in Singapore. Six Malaysian citizens were sentenced to prison for their participation in a heist whose loot reached approximately US$3.38 million.
According to the case presented to the Justice system, the involved parties received information that there was a large amount of money linked to a private poker game on the property and decided to use this information to organize the robbery.
The group did not act spontaneously. The participants divided different roles, and some of them were responsible for entering the property while others assisted with logistics. Once inside, the thieves managed to seize cash, cryptocurrencies, and other valuables before leaving the place. The total value of the stolen items was estimated at around 4.3 million Singapore dollars, equivalent to about US$3.38 million.
The incident occurred on April 18, 2024, at a residence in King Albert Park, an exclusive residential area of Singapore. According to the case presented to the Justice system, the involved parties received information that there was a large amount of money linked to a private poker game on the property and decided to use this information to organize the robbery. The sentences have only now been made public.
From millionaire poker to prison
The investigation allowed the reconstruction of the money trail and identification of the participants. Finally, six Malaysians were convicted of various crimes related to the robbery, although the sentences varied according to each person’s role in the operation.
One of the accused, Lau Choon Sheng, 34 years old, received a sentence of six years and nine months in prison and 12 cane strokes. The Justice system considered that he had directly participated in entering the property and the robbery. Other members of the group also received prison sentences and, in some cases, corporal punishments provided by Singaporean law.
Read more Ben Tollerene wins his fifth Triton title after a perfect early morning — CodigoPoker
The police managed to recover only part of the loot. According to the information presented in the process, a significant portion of the stolen millions could never be recovered, while some of the money was transferred or converted after the heist.
The case also had ramifications outside Singapore due to the nationality of those involved and the subsequent movement of funds. Authorities reconstructed communications, movements, and task distribution that had allowed the robbery to be carried out.
A private game behind the heist
The connection with poker was a central piece to understand how the plan was born. The assailants acted after receiving information about a private high stakes game and the presence of significant amounts of cash and other assets in the residence, a detail that ended up turning the meeting into the group’s target.
Therefore, it was not a robbery committed during a game in a casino nor a heist at a poker room. The setting was a private property, and prior knowledge about the money related to those games was what led the criminals there.
Two years after the heist, that information promising a millionaire loot ended with a very different outcome for its protagonists: they took about US$3.38 million, but six of the participants ended up sentenced to prison in Singapore.
Read more The WSOP Circuit Panama returns: 12 rings at stake and FREE accommodation for 10 days — CodigoPoker
