**[Singapore Crypto Practitioner Robbery Mastermind Sentenced to 12 Years and 11 Months in Prison, 24 Strokes of the Cane]** BlockBeats News, September 16 — According to *Lianhe Zaobao*, seven Malaysian robbers targeted poker players attending a game, broke into a luxury private residence in Bukit Timah late at night, and robbed over $4.9 million at knifepoint before quickly splitting into two groups to flee Singapore. On Monday (September 14), six of them pleaded guilty in the High Court. Two masterminds were sentenced to 12 years and 11 months in prison, 24 strokes of the cane, and fined $4,000. Court proceedings revealed that masterminds Wu Wentong (30 years old) and Huang Zhishan (35 years old) learned from a friend who had attended the poker games that the bungalow frequently hosted poker sessions at night. After scouting the location, they discovered that the front door of the bungalow remained unlocked during the games. Wu Wentong and Huang Zhishan then recruited five accomplices and specifically came to Singapore to commit the crime. The armed robbery occurred on April 18, 2024, at around 2 a.m. in a residence within the premium King Albert Park Good Class Bungalow area, where 11 men and women were playing poker in the living room. According to case details, around March 2024, Wu Wentong and Huang Zhishan, facing financial difficulties, decided to rob the poker players at the bungalow. Knowing they couldn’t execute such a large-scale robbery alone, they approached Hamidun, who ran a private security company and provided debt collection services, to help gather manpower. They promised a reward of RM1.5 million (approximately SGD 470,000). After successfully committing the robbery, the group fled in a multi-purpose vehicle and split into two groups, each crossing Singapore’s borders via Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints. Meanwhile, several players in the private residence managed to free themselves and called the police to report the crime. With assistance from the Royal Malaysia Police, six defendants were arrested between late April and November 2024 and extradited to Singapore for trial. To date, police have recovered virtual currency worth SGD 1.69 million, while the remaining funds and assets remain unaccounted for. [Original Link]