Tip-off leads police to car thieves

 

STOLEN: Police managed to recover a light-blue Perodua Kelisa and a maroon Proton Perdana V6 that was reported stolen

 

POLICE have busted a car-theft syndicate with the arrest of four people at two locations in Gombak yesterday.

Gombak district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Abdul Rahim Abdullah, said three suspects were arrested in Kampung Sungai Tua and while another man was detained in Kampung Wira Damai. Both locations are in the Batu Caves area.

He said the arrests followed a public tip-off.

“We received a tip-off about a group of men behaving suspiciously at a terrace house in Kampung Sungai Tua.  With this information, we moved in on them at about 2am.

“When we went in, the men were high on drugs. We later learned that they were not only drug addicts but also members of a car-theft syndicate.”

Abdul Rahim said checks on a maroon Proton Perdana V6 parked in the house compound revealed it had been reported stolen in Seri Gombak five days ago.

The car belonged to a financial consultant in his 30s, who realised that his car parked in the porch was missing at 5am on Oct 15.

“The car was fitted with false registration plates when we found it,” said Abdul Rahim. Police also seized several false registration number plates found in the car boot.

The false plates suggested that the suspects may have used the car in other criminal activities and police are also investigating this.

“With information retrieved from the suspects, we were led to another spot in Kampung Wira Damai at 6am.

There, we arrested another car-theft syndicate member and seized a car which was reported stolen in Sentul.”

The light-blue Perodua Kelisa was reported stolen in Sentul early this year and was also fitted with a false registration plate.

Initial investigations revealed that the gang could have been responsible for at least 10 car thefts in the district.
Gombak police are now working with their counterparts in other districts to locate eight other missing cars and checking if the syndicate has also been behind car theft cases in those areas.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 28, have been remanded for four days to assist police investigations.
The case has been classified under Section 379 of the Penal Code for motor vehicle theft.