Six Malaysian men have been sentenced to prison for an armed robbery at a high-stakes Singapore poker game where about S$4.9 million in cryptocurrency, cash and luxury goods was stolen. The sentencing on September 14 followed guilty pleas to armed gang robbery and money-laundering charges tied to moving stolen property from Singapore into Malaysia.
The April 18, 2024 attack targeted a King Albert Park residence in the Bukit Timah area. Prosecutors said Wong Chi San, 35, and Goh Boon Tong, 30, learned in November 2023 that poker games at the property sometimes settled in crypto, recruited accomplices and later directed the robbery. Seven masked men entered after 2 a.m., restrained 11 people and searched phones for crypto applications. Wong and Goh found substantial balances on the hostess's phone and directed transfers to a wallet they controlled.
The court placed the loss at roughly S$4.9 million, higher than the Singapore Police Force's original estimate of S$4.34 million. Around S$3.6 million in cryptocurrency was taken from the hostess, alongside S$210,000 in Singapore currency, about US$40,000 in cash, S$55,500 in Emirati dirham and a Patek Philippe watch valued above S$500,000. Other victims lost Rolex and Richard Mille watches and other items. Police recovered about S$1.69 million, leaving close to S$3.21 million unaccounted for.
Wong and Goh each received 12 years and 11 months in prison, 24 strokes of the cane and a S$4,000 fine. Mohd Hamidon Ahmed received 10 years and six months, Mohd Hashim Ismail eight years and eight months, while Kartik Palaniappan and Muhammad Tauffiq Ahmad Fauzi were each sentenced to seven years and eight months. A seventh suspect, Muhammad Yusuf Kassim, remains at large and may have traveled from Malaysia to Thailand. Goh's lawyer said he helped recover about 800,000 USDT of roughly 1.1 million USDT transferred to him after the robbery.
The case is part of a widening focus on violent crypto theft. Chainalysis reported more than $30 million was stolen through violent crypto attacks worldwide in the first half of 2026, with home invasions accounting for 37% of 46 known incidents. CertiK counted 52 verified wrench attacks in the same period, recording $124.1 million in financial exposure.
