A US research paper found that civil servants involved in rail planning appeared more likely than other buyers to purchase homes near yet to be announced future railway stations.

PETALING JAYA: Eight civil servants in Singapore are being investigated by the city-state's police over their purchase of property near sites later announced as MRT stations.

Coordinating public services minister Chan Chun Sing said the government recently reviewed the property purchases of 191 public officers who worked in government agencies linked to rail planning.

The officers bought the properties between 2007 and 2014, Singapore's Straits Times reported.

Chan said the eight cases needed a closer look due to the circumstances of the purchases or gaps in available information.