Singapore police arrested a six-member gang suspected of international cyber attacks and seized 540,000 yuan in cash and 1.1 million yuan worth of virtual currency

In a major enforcement operation, the Singapore Police have arrested six men, five of whom are Chinese and one of whom is Singaporean. They are suspected of being linked to an international cybercrime gang and launching cyber attacks against overseas targets from Singapore.

The six suspects, aged between 32 and 42, were arrested in joint raids at multiple locations across Singapore on Monday, September 9. The operation mobilised about 160 enforcement officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, Police Intelligence, Special Operations Command and Internal Security Department (ISD).

The six arrested men are:

• Zhang Qingqiao (38, Chinese)
• Sun Qiao (42, Chinese)
• Huang Qinzheng (35, Chinese)
• Yan Peijian (38, Chinese)
• Liu Yuqi (32, Chinese)
• Wu Shiyong (34, Singaporean)

The six appeared in the State Court via videoconference on Tuesday, September 10. Sun Qiao faces two charges of violating the Computer Misuse Act, while the other five face one charge each.

According to the charges, Sun Qiao, Huang Qinzheng, Yan Peijian and Liu Yuqi are suspected of conspiring with other unidentified persons to scan website ports and exploit website vulnerabilities to attack. Wu Shiyong is accused of assisting Yan Peijian, Huang Qinzheng and Liu Yuqi to apply for broadband services from Singtel for a private residence on Mount Sinai Road, thereby supporting their activities. Zhang Qingqiao is suspected of offering to buy personal data of Indian citizens found on gambling websites, even though he knew that the data may have been obtained illegally; Sun Qiao is suspected of trying to sell the data to Zhang Qingqiao.

In court, the prosecution requested that the defendants continue to be detained for further investigation, including the examination of seized electronic devices and cryptocurrency wallets involved in the case. Zhang Qingqiao is the only defendant represented by a lawyer. His lawyer opposed continued detention, pointing out that the charges facing Zhang Qingqiao are different from those of the others and are bailable. However, the prosecution said that the extent of Zhang Qingqiao's involvement in the case has not been fully determined and additional charges may be added after the examination of electronic evidence, so his continued detention is necessary. The judge finally approved the prosecution's request and ordered the six defendants to be detained for another week, during which they will be allowed to be taken out for further investigation. The case will be heard again on September 17.

During the raid, the authorities seized several laptops, mobile phones, more than 540,000 Singapore dollars in cash, and virtual currencies worth about 850,000 US dollars (about 1.1 million Singapore dollars). Sun Qiao was arrested at an apartment in the Bideley Park Drive area. The authorities found that one of his laptops had server login information used by the hacker gang. The police then seized his five laptops, six mobile phones, more than 24,000 yuan in cash and virtual currencies worth about 850,000 US dollars.

Cash seized by the authorities during the operation. (Provided by the Singapore Police Force)

The other three suspects were arrested at a private residence in the Sinai Road area. Yan Peijian's two laptops, three mobile phones, more than 52,000 yuan in cash and other foreign currencies were also seized by the authorities. Liu Yuqi's computer was found to have a special program that can be used to control malware, and the police subsequently seized his three laptops and four mobile phones. Huang Qinzheng's computer contained a variety of hacking tools, and the authorities later seized his two laptops, four mobile phones, more than $2,600 in cash and other foreign currencies.

The authorities seized several laptops and mobile phones during the operation. (Provided by the Singapore Police Force)

Zhang Qingqiao was arrested at a condominium in the Jingxi Road area, where police seized a laptop, nine mobile phones and about $465,000 in cash. Wu Shiyong was arrested at a government housing unit in Hougang Road.

The joint operation by the Singapore Police and the Internal Security Department shows that Singapore has a zero-tolerance attitude towards the use of its territory for criminal activities, including illegal cyber activities. The relevant authorities have made it clear that those involved will face severe sanctions.

This case highlights the growing threat of international cybercrime and the urgency of strengthening cybersecurity measures to prevent such attacks.