A 28-year-old Chinese man, Wu Jinxing, was arrested in Singapore after attempting to collect stolen loot valued at around S$500,000.
Jinxing, a food deliveryman in Shenzhen, was reportedly recruited for the job with a promised RMB30,000 (S$5,500) reward and arrived in Singapore on 27 July.
He made his way to a forested area near Buona Vista MRT station to recover an orange Hermès Birkin bag worth approximately S$45,000, which contained some of the stolen items.
However, Jinxing was apprehended and later charged in court on 29 July, according to The New Paper.
On Monday (16 Dec), Jinxing was sentenced to seven months in prison, with his offence tied to a criminal syndicate. He pleaded guilty to one count of handling the proceeds of crime.
Court documents revealed that two burglars, 30-year-old Wu Jianxin and 35-year-old Huang Ziqian, also Chinese nationals, broke into a house in July, stealing an orange Birkin bag, cash in various currencies, and three luxury watches worth up to S$165,000. They then hid their stolen loot along the Rail Corridor.
The burglars also targeted other homes, stealing jewellery, cash, and 12 additional Hermès bags, which they concealed behind properties on Bukit Sedap Road near Holland Road.
The court was informed that Wu Jianxin and Wu Jinxing had known each other for 12 years.
At 2.30am, Jianxin reached out to Jinxing and asked him to fly to Singapore for a one-day trip to retrieve a bag and a watch on his behalf.
He also told Jinxing to catch a flight to Hong Kong instead of Shenzhen and promised to pay his travel expenses later, according to Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Despite knowing that the plan involved illegal activities, Jinxing agreed to participate, as stated by DPP Phua.
He arrived in Singapore at noon, bought a backpack, and took a train to Buona Vista MRT station.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Following Jianxin’s instructions during a video call, he walked down a bicycle path along the Rail Corridor, climbed a slope through thick vegetation, and searched for a spot beneath a tree.
Jinxing uncovered the orange Birkin bag hidden under pipes and leaves and took it.
He then took a taxi to a hotel in Geylang and checked into a room at 7pm. Jinxing emptied the contents of the bag onto the bed, with Jianxin watching through a video call.
Later, Jinxing was told to take a taxi to Bukit Sedap Road to retrieve 12 Hermes bags, jewellery and cash, which were stolen from other houses
Meanwhile, police officers, who were notified about the case on 27 July, had previously located the loot and were waiting for the perpetrators to return and collect the loot.
When Jinxing arrived at the location, the officers in the vicinity arrested him at 9.40am.
They took him back to his hotel room and found the orange Birkin bag and its contents.
It was not disclosed in court documents how the authorities discovered the location of the remaining loot.
On Monday (16 Dec), DPP Phua urged the court to sentence Jinxing to eight to nine months in prison, saying his offence aided the criminal activities of a syndicate and had a transnational element.
Jianxin and Huang remain at large, according to Deputy Public Prosecutor Janessa Phua.
Jinxing could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to S$500,000 for handling the benefits of criminal conduct.
Also read: Burglars break into S’pore couple’s car at KSL Mall in JB, steal cash & clothes
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Shin Min Daily News.
The residents were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Four people sustained minor injuries.
The pair face rude behaviour almost daily, he says.
She told the man to earn his own money.
An autopsy confirmed that he died from cardiorespiratory arrest.
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