SINGAPORE, Oct 13 — Four Indonesian men were charged in court on Saturday with illegally entering Singapore, after they jumped off a boat into the sea off Tuas and swam towards the shore.

The men, aged between 19 and 38, were first detected on Tuas Reclaimed Land by the Police Coast Guard’s surveillance systems on Friday at about 8.30pm, said the Singapore Police Force in a news release today.

The four men were observed to have jumped off an unnumbered boat into the waters off Tuas Reclaimed Land before swimming towards the shoreline.

The four men jumped off an unnumbered boat into the waters off Tuas Reclaimed Land. — Picture courtesy of Police Coast Guard via TODAY

Coast Guard officers, together with personnel from the Jurong Police Division, Gurkha Contingent, Special Operations Command and Home Team Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Unit were deployed to intercept the men, the police said.

The men were arrested within five hours after they were detected, and were handed over to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority for further investigations, the statement said.

If convicted, they could be jailed for up to six months and receive a minimum of three strokes of the cane.

The Coast Guard’s Commander Cheang Keng Keong commended the officers’ "vigilance and excellent team work which resulted in the swift arrest”.

He added that the Coast Guard would "continue to take firm action against such offenders to safeguard our waters and sea borders against crime and security threats, including unauthorised entry into and departure from Singapore.” — TODAY

Thermal imaging of the four men detected to have entered Singapore illegally by sea. — Picture courtesy of Singapore Police Coast Guard via TODAY