Two Chinese nationals were each sentenced to 15 months’ jail on 24 June 2025 for a housebreaking incident in the Greenleaf View estate, part of Bukit Timah’s landed property zone.
Feng Yunlong, 38, and Zhang Yongxiang, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of housebreaking with theft and had an additional similar charge taken into consideration for sentencing.
The incident occurred on 16 December 2024, just three days after the men arrived in Singapore on social visit passes.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Teng Yin Hang, the duo had loitered in the estate at about 8.50pm, deliberately scouting for homes to break into.
They chose a three-storey semi-detached house that appeared unoccupied, as its lights were off.
Zhang accessed the targeted house through a neighbouring construction site, from which he stole a pair of gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints.
He entered the house by climbing a makeshift staircase, crossing a parapet, and slipping through an unlocked sliding window into a study room.
Feng remained outside as a lookout while Zhang searched the house using a torchlight.
Two watches—a Cartier Roadster valued at S$8,800 and a Casio Edifice watch worth S$150—were found and taken.
The pair then left the scene and returned to their hotel.
The homeowners were away at the time and filed a police report on 18 December 2024.
Later that same day, Zhang and Feng broke into another residence on Zehnder Road, in the Buona Vista area, stealing valuables worth more than S$7,000.
The suspects were soon identified through security camera footage and arrested later that day.
The prosecution asked for jail terms between 14 and 16 months, citing aggravating factors such as the level of planning, night-time execution, and potential psychological impact on homeowners.
Feng and Zhang, who were unrepresented, spoke through a Mandarin interpreter and pleaded for leniency, citing personal family circumstances.
Feng mentioned he wished to return home to care for his elderly mother, while Zhang said his own mother and child had no one else to rely on.
In response, District Judge Christopher Goh questioned the rationale behind their travel to Singapore if their family obligations were so pressing.
Feng did not directly respond, saying only that he would not repeat the offence and would return to be with his mother.
Zhang expressed remorse, admitting, “I was greedy and I was wrong,” and claimed he had originally come to Singapore in search of employment.
Each man could have faced up to 10 years in jail and a fine under the Penal Code for housebreaking and theft.
This case forms part of a wider trend of housebreaking incidents affecting landed homes in Singapore since mid-2023, with at least 10 cases reported in areas near Bukit Timah Road and the Rail Corridor between June and August 2024.
Stolen items in those cases totalled around S$3.85 million, with some crimes believed to be linked to foreign syndicates.
Authorities have urged homeowners in private estates to improve home security and install surveillance systems to deter such crimes.
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