Two men from a criminal syndicate in China scaled a fence of a house along Singapore’s Windsor Park Road and made off with S$570,000 (US$422,000) in jewellery.
Long Zhihua, 38, and Luo Changchang, 44, were caught before they returned to China, but the authorities did not manage to recover S$390,200 in jewellery belonging to the victim, a 53-year-old woman.
Both men, who are Chinese nationals, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count each of housebreaking.
Long has an additional charge of possessing stolen items, which will be taken into consideration when he is sentenced.
According to court documents, both men are part of a criminal syndicate from China. The duo came to Singapore for the purpose of breaking into houses to steal.
At least five other Chinese nationals from the same syndicate had come to Singapore around June this year for the same purpose.