SINGAPORE - Four male Chinese nationals appeared in a district court on Sept 10 after they allegedly planned to target websites and exploit the vulnerabilities of these platforms.

The four men are Liu Yuqi, 32, Huang Qin Zheng, 35, Yan Peijian, 38, and Sun Jiao, 42.

They are accused of being part of a group of six people linked to a global syndicate that conducts malicious cyber activities.

Details about the websites the four men allegedly planned to target were not disclosed in court documents. How they allegedly planned to exploit the vulnerabilities was not stated either.

A fifth Chinese national, Zhang Qingqiao, 38, allegedly offered to buy the personal information of several Indian nationals found on online gambling websites.

Sun is accused of offering to supply him with such information.

Singaporean Goh Shi Yong, 34, is said to have helped Liu, Huang and Yan in committing their alleged offences.

He allegedly did so by subscribing to two Singtel broadband plans for a house in Mount Sinai Avenue near Holland Road where Liu, Huang and Yan lived.

On Sept 10, Sun was handed two charges under the Computer Misuse Act, while the other five men were each handed one charge under the same Act.

The six men are said to have committed their offences on or before Sept 9 in Singapore.

They were arrested after more than 150 officers from the Singapore Police Force’s Criminal Investigation Department, Police Intelligence Department and Special Operations Command and the Internal Security Department (ISD) conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations islandwide on Sept 9.

Sun was caught at his home in a Bidadari Park Drive condominium and was “found in possession of a laptop that contained credentials to access internet servers used by known hacker groups”, the police and ISD said in a joint statement on Sept 10.

“Five laptops, six mobile phones, cash of more than $24,000 and cryptocurrency worth approximately US$850,000 (S$1.1 million) were seized from him,” the authorities added. 

Liu, Huang and Yan were caught in their Mount Sinai Avenue home, where they allegedly had multiple incriminating items in their possession, including a laptop said to contain various computer hacking tools.

Officers arrested Zhang at his home in a Cairnhill Road condominium.

A laptop, nine mobile phones and $465,000 in cash were seized from him, said the police and ISD.

Meanwhile, Goh was caught at a Housing Board flat in Hougang.

On Sept 10, all six men were ordered to be remanded at the Central Police Division, and their cases have been adjourned to Sept 17.

For planning to work together to target websites and exploit their vulnerabilities, a first-time offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000.

A repeat offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined up to $10,000.