KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — Singapore police reported yesterday that the recent rise in housebreaking cases at private residential estates seems to be the work of foreign syndicates involving Chinese nationals.

According to CNA, three individuals have been arrested and charged in court, while the police are still trying to locate another 14 who are currently believed to be outside Singapore.

It was reported that the police are engaging the assistance of the Chinese authorities to obtain more information and locate these individuals.

According to initial investigations, the syndicates are thought to work in small teams and gain entry to homes by climbing over perimeter walls or fences.

Police informed CNA that the suspects are believed to be transient travellers who entered Singapore on Social Visit Passes, typically arriving one to two days before carrying out the crimes.

After committing the crime, they would quickly leave the scene and try to exit the country as soon as possible to evade detection.

They tend to target homes near parks or wooded areas, where stolen items can be concealed in nearby forested areas and later retrieved by their accomplices.

Before the recent cases, housebreaking crimes had been decreasing, with only 59 incidents reported in the first half of this year, compared to 70 during the same period last year, police told CNA.

This year alone, between June 1 and August 4, 10 housebreaking cases were reported, mostly at private residential estates around the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road.

CNA reported the total value of the stolen items in these 10 cases was S$3.85 million (RM12.97 million), with approximately S$1.36 million worth of items recovered.

Three suspects, Long Zhihua, 38, and Luo Changchang, 43, and Wu Jinxing, 27, were arrested and charged.

Some items seized from Wu included a S$75,000 orange Hermes Birkin bag, about S$68,800 in Singapore dollars, foreign currencies totalling S$78,800, and three luxury watches, including a S$30,000 Jaeger-LeCoultre, a Hublot, and an Omega.

In response, police said they are enhancing their ground patrols with aerial surveillance, using drones equipped with lights, cameras, and thermal sensors. Mobile cameras, known as Mobicams, have also been installed at key locations in the estates, including major junctions and main entry and exit points.