A Malaysian man who worked as a money mule for an illegal syndicate ended up conspiring with his nephew to steal a gold bar he was tasked with collecting.
Ng Keng Chuan, 48, pleaded guilty to two charges, including criminal breach of trust and an offence under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.
He was sentenced to three years and four months in jail.
The court heard that Ng was recruited by his 24-year-old Singaporean nephew, Liu Yong Jun, in Aug 2025 to work as a runner for a criminal syndicate in Singapore.
Liew told his uncle that the job involved collecting cash from various locations and handing the money to money changers.
In return, Ng would receive a 2.5% commission from the daily amount collected, earning around S$500 to S$600 a day.
Attracted by the high earnings, Ng agreed to join and was added to a Telegram group chat with Liew and three unknown individuals.
Source: JONGHO SHIN on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
Ng entered Singapore and travelled by private-hire vehicles to different locations to collect cash and gold bars.
He was told the items were linked to currency exchange, property investments or gold trading.
The syndicate instructed Ng to photograph specific banknotes before meeting victims and compare the serial numbers against the notes handed over during transactions.
The group also provided him with a fake employee identification badge.
This contained his photograph and personal details, making him appear to be a “cash escort” working for an investment company.
Source: anurakpong on Canva, for illustration
Ng was also given forged receipts and contracts for victims to sign.
Court documents stated that Ng knew the company did not exist and that the documents were fraudulent. Despite this, he continued working with the syndicate for about five months.
On 19 Oct 2025, Ng and Liew conspired to keep a 50g gold bar that Ng had collected on behalf of the syndicate.
The pair later sold the gold bar for S$15,000 and split the proceeds equally.
Ng used his S$7,500 share to repay his personal debts.
Ng’s case involved two of the charges he faced, while details of the remaining charge were not disclosed.
According to the Oriental Daily News, between Aug and Dec 2025, Ng entered Singapore at least 27 times to collect illicit funds on behalf of the syndicate.
He admitted collecting money from between 40 and 50 individuals, with at least half of them elderly.
After receiving the funds, Ng would hand them over to syndicate contacts in Singapore before returning to Malaysia.
Ng earned between S$30,000 and S$40,000 in commissions during his involvement.
He spent about S$10,000 of the money on gambling, while using the remainder to repay debts and cover daily expenses.
S$54,000 in cash and gold bars linked to scam operations
At least S$54,000 in cash and three gold bars handled by Ng have been definitively linked to scam cases.
The prosecution emphasised that the case involved transnational crime with substantial sums, spanning an extended period with sophisticated and organised methods.
Given that Ng earned at least S$30,000 from his crimes while fully aware his employers were operating illegally, prosecutors urged the court to impose a sentence of at least 49 months’ imprisonment and a fine of S$37,500.
In sentencing, the judge noted that Ng knowingly continued his criminal activities and went so far as to double-cross the syndicate to steal a gold bar.
However, considering Ng’s financial inability to pay, no additional fine was imposed.
The nephew, Liew Yong Jun, is expected to enter a guilty plea in the State Courts on 23 Sept.
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Featured image adapted from JONGHO SHIN on Canva for illustration purposes only, and from MS News.