Police recall plane, arrest 3 at Changi after MBS hotel robbery
Dhaka: Singapore police arrested three Chinese nationals, aged between 29 and 34, who robbed a 45-year-old Chinese woman after recalling a Shanghai-bound flight at Changi Airport, cracking a hotel robbery case in under four hours on June 1.
Police said the woman had connected with someone on a messaging platform who claimed to offer foreign currency exchange services. She agreed to exchange SGD 50,000 in cash for foreign currency, with the converted amount to be deposited into her bank e-wallet.
One of the suspects met her near Marina Bay Sands and brought her to a hotel room where a second suspect was hiding in the bathroom. One of them restrained her by the neck, and the cash was then forcibly taken from her.
The victim and her child were later locked on the room's balcony. She reportedly climbed over to an adjacent room's balcony to seek help.
Police received the report at around 7:00 pm on June 1. Officers identified all three suspects before 11:00 pm and discovered they had already boarded a flight bound for Shanghai.
The plane was recalled to the boarding gate before departure. All three suspects were arrested, with the stolen money still found on them.
Checks on flight tracking platforms suggest the aircraft involved was likely MU566, operated by China Eastern Airlines, which was delayed by nearly an hour from its scheduled 11:10 pm departure. Juneyao Airlines flight HO1576 was the only other Shanghai-bound departure from Singapore after 11:00 pm that night.
All three suspects are set to be charged with robbery with hurt on June 4. If convicted, each faces a prison term of between five and 20 years, along with at least 12 strokes of the cane. Under Singapore law, when a crime is committed jointly, each participant bears full liability as though acting alone.
The Singapore Police Force stated it will not tolerate such acts and will spare no effort to apprehend offenders.
Authorities advised anyone in a similar situation to remain calm, note the perpetrator's physical appearance, and contact police promptly. The public was also urged to exercise caution when arranging currency exchanges through social media or messaging platforms and to use only licensed money changers for such transactions.
