Gold Bars triple murders

Gold Bars triple murders
Criminal Investigation Department officers inspecting the recovered gold bars
Date29 December 1971; 52 years ago (1971-12-29)
LocationSerangoon, Singapore
Outcome
  • Tenth perpetrator Augustine Ang Cheng Siong indefinitely imprisoned without trial, given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal
  • Ang turned state evidence against his remaining nine accomplices
  • Remaining nine perpetrators found guilty of murder on 4 December 1972
  • Ringo Lee and Stephen Lee imprisoned indefintely at the President's Pleasure on 4 December 1972
  • Chou brothers, Yau, Lim, James, Francis, Konesekaram sentenced to hang on 4 December 1972
  • Chou brothers, Yau, Lim, James, Francis, Konesekaram hanged on 28 February 1975
  • Ang, Ringo Lee and Stephen Lee released between late 1980s and 1990s
DeathsNgo Cheng Poh (55)
Ang Boon Chai (57)
Leong Chin Woo (51)
ConvictedAndrew Chou Hock Guan (31)
David Chou Hock Heng (34)
Peter Lim Swee Guan (24)
Alex Yau Hean Thye (19)
Richard James (18)
Stephen Francis (20)
Ringo Lee Chiew Chwee (16)
Stephen Lee Hock Khoon (16)
Konesekaram Nagalingam (18)
VerdictGuilty
ConvictionsMurder (three counts)
SentenceDeath penalty – Chou brothers, Yau, Lim, James, Francis, Konesekaram
Indefinite detention at the President's Pleasure – Ringo Lee and Stephen Lee

Known as the Gold Bars triple murders, on 29 December 1971, 55-year-old businessman and gold bar smuggler Ngo Cheng Poh (吴崇波 Wú Chóngbō), together with his two employees 57-year-old Ang Boon Chai (洪文彩 Hóng Wéncǎi), and 51-year-old Leong Chin Woo (梁振伍 Liáng Zhènwǔ), were murdered by a group of ten men. The group had also robbed the three men of 120 gold bars worth $500,000. The robbery-murder was masterminded by 31-year-old Andrew Chou Hock Guan (邹福源 Zōu Fúyuán), an air cargo supervisor who acted as a middleman for Ngo to smuggle gold onto the flights from Singapore into Vietnam, before he decided to commit the robbery due to an event that led to the deterioration of Chou's ties to the gold syndicates.[1]

After a trial lasting 40 days, Andrew Chou, together with his 34-year-old brother David Chou Hock Heng (邹福兴 Zōu Fúxīng) and five out of the remaining eight perpetrators were given the death penalty for murdering the three gold smugglers, while the remaining three were placed under indefinite detention (two of them were minors during the offence while a third became the prosecution's chief witness against the nine others). After losing their appeals, the seven condemned were hanged on 28 February 1975.[2][3]

  1. ^ "Guilty As Charged: Seven who killed for 120 gold bars hanged". The Straits Times. 16 May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 May 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  2. ^ "DEATH AT DAWN FOR SEVEN TOMORROW..." New Nation. 27 February 1975. Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Mereka pun digantung". Berita Harian (in Malay). 1 March 1975. Retrieved 16 December 2023.