KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — A four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicle theft syndicate was busted following the arrest of two men in Subang Jaya and Ampang on December 27.
Sentul district police chief ACP Ahmad Sukarno Mohd Zahari said the two suspects, aged 40 and 35, were arrested following a report lodged by a victim who lost a Toyota Hilux in Jalan Selisih, Jinjang, on October 4.
He said every vehicle the suspect stole was believed to have been smuggled into a neighbouring country.
“The mastermind, Ah Ho, is believed to have received an order from a man in Thailand to steal a vehicle. Then, the vehicle will be left on the side of the road to be picked up by another man (believed to be hired by a man in Thailand), who will then be brought into that country.
“Thus far, the suspect admitted to being involved in six cases of 4WD vehicle theft (four in Kuala Lumpur and two in Selangor) and receiving RM20,000 for each stolen vehicle,” Ahmad said during a press conference at the Sentul district police headquarters today.
The police also seized two vehicles (believed to be a stolen car and a rental car), 26 sets of vehicle registration numbers and eight road taxes as well as other equipment believed to be used to steal vehicles.
The suspect’s modus operandi was to target 4WD vehicles, like the Toyota Hilux, by placing a tracker on the vehicle.
“The suspects will retrace the vehicles and the location where the vehicles were parked. In the evening, the suspects would turn off the alarm system using special tools and then steal the car.
“The suspect also has the registration numbers of other 4WD vehicles to use on the stolen vehicles to avoid detection by the authorities,” he said.
In another development, police arrested a 36-year-old man who was stealing goods from parked vehicles in Sentul on Saturday (December 30).
Ahmad said the police also seized, among others, seven Touch N’ Go cards, a mobile phone, and cash.
“The man, who works as a cook, would target vehicles parked on the roadside while travelling to work,” he said, adding the suspect admitted to being involved in six cases in Sentul and was remanded for four days.
— Bernama
