Police Arrest Three Latin American Men for Bukit Timah Bungalow Break-ins with the Help of Mother-Son Duo

By
Loh Huey Xin
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The police have arrested three Latin American men, who have allegedly committed break-ins and theft at three bungalows in the Bukit Timah area.

A mother and son who saw them acting suspiciously noted their license plate number, giving police a key lead to crack the case.

Three Suspects on Social Visit Passes

The three men include a 60-year-old with dual Spanish and Colombian citizenship, a 51-year-old Mexican, and a 48-year-old with dual Mexican and Colombian citizenship.

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They entered Singapore on social visit passes within the past two weeks.

The Singapore Police Force said in a statement on Sunday, 11 May 2025, that on 9 and 10 May, they received reports of break-ins at three bungalows in the Bukit Timah area: Cluny Park Road, Dunearn Road, and Eng Neo Avenue.

Through field work and checking CCTV footage from police cameras, officers from the Tanglin Police Division, Police Operations Command Centre, Criminal Investigation Department, Gurkha Contingent, Special Operations Command, and Home Team Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Command identified the suspects.

They arrested them within 27 hours after getting the first report.

Police found a car, a circular saw, various jewellery, and cash – SGD$6,000, EUR3,100 (~SGD$4,030), and USD$6,400 (~SGD$8,320) – at the men’s place.

The three will be charged in court on Monday, 12 May 2025. If found guilty, they face up to ten years in jail plus fines.

Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Cheong Chee Ming, Commander of Tanglin Police Division, said a mother and son gave key information that helped police solve the case quickly.

They got certificates of appreciation on Sunday for their close work with the police.

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Alert Residents Spotted Suspicious Activity

The mother and son told Lianhe Zaobao they moved to the Bukit Timah area six months ago. They got along well with neighbours and became familiar with their surroundings quickly.

The housewife, Ms. Chen (name transliterated from Mandarin), said that on Friday (9 May 2025) at about 8:00 PM, she and her son noticed an unfamiliar car going around their neighbourhood many times while they were walking near home.

“At first, I thought it was a delivery person or a lost driver, but the car went around three times, so I felt something was wrong.”

She then talked with her son about it, and they decided to record the license plate number just in case.

She said that during the car’s last loop, as it was about to leave, she made eye contact with the driver and noticed he wasn’t Asian. The driver seemed unhappy after noticing he’d been seen, stepped hard on the gas, making the engine roar, and sped away.

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These signs confirmed to her and her son that the people in the car were acting suspicious.

Early the next morning, she heard a neighbour say their house had been broken into. She right away thought of the suspicious car she’d seen the night before, so she called the police and told them what she’d seen and the car’s license plate number.

She said after last year’s case of three Chinese men breaking into homes in Bukit Timah, police kept giving flyers to residents in the area to raise safety awareness. So when they saw the suspicious car, she and her son quickly thought to take down the license plate number.

“Many of my neighbours have installed cameras. After this incident, I think I should improve my home security too.”

Her son, Li Mingjie (name transliterated from Mandarin), 16, a student, said this incident made him realise that crime isn’t far from them. He urged residents to raise their vigilance and take full measures to prevent crime.

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Prevention Measures Essential Despite Declining Break-ins

Between June and August 2024, there were ten break-ins at high-end private homes in Bukit Timah and the Rail Corridor area, with stolen items worth about $3.85 million.

Investigations showed the thieves were from a Chinese criminal gang. Three Chinese citizens have been charged, while 14 others have fled the country.

In December 2024, homes at Greenleaf View near Holland Road and Buona Vista on Zehnder Road were robbed by two Chinese men who stole items worth more than $17,000.

Police stress that although break-ins have gone down overall, Singapore remains a target for cross-border criminals.

Police urge residents to take preventive measures when going on holiday or leaving home for long periods. These include locking doors and windows, installing alarm systems, joining neighbourhood watch programs, and citizen patrol groups.

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Loh Huey Xin