Patrolling cops find on teen over $34,000 in cash and bunch of ATM cards, arrest him

Police officers in Serangoon Garden conducted a check on an 18-year-old man and found he had cash amounting to more than $34,000, an assortment of bank ATM cards and mobile SIM cards, four mobile phones and an Internet banking token.

The officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division were on patrol in the vicinity of Sandown Place at about 11.10pm on Wednesday (July 19).

The teen was unable to provide a satisfactory account for his possession of the items.

He was arrested for his suspected involvement in a case of dishonestly retaining stolen property.

Preliminary investigations revealed that money from scam cases was deposited into the bank accounts linked to some of the recovered ATM cards.

The teen is suspected to have used the ATM cards to make cash withdrawals, transfers and deposits, which were linked to criminal activities, on behalf of others.

He was to be charged in court on Friday with the offence of dishonestly retaining stolen property, which carries an imprisonment term that may extend to five years, a fine or both.

Commending the officers for the arrest, Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Xie Xingmao said: “Criminal syndicates often rely on money mules to launder proceeds of crime.

"Money mules may illegally receive and transfer monies from unknown sources or allow their own accounts to be used by others for such transfers.

"As such, police will actively pursue and investigate those who do so.”