Estima Gang terrorising Klang Valley residents

PETALING JAYA: A gang of four parang-weilding robbers who move around in a white Toyota Estima are terrorising Klang Valley residents after pulling off at least 11 robbery cases in the past two months.
Except for two cases where they were reported to have come in a Toyota Velfire and a Lexus MPV, the robbers had used a heavily-tinted white Toyota Estima in the rest of the robberies they committed.
All the vehicles were fitted with a false registration plate on each occasion.
Dubbed the Estima Gang, the robbers are behind nine cases in Selangor and two in Kuala Lumpur.
Police have reports from victims in Puchong, USJ, Cheras, Bukit Antarabangsa and Rawang.
Police said the men would go for their victims randomly by driving around residential areas, looking out for residents carrying out chores at their house compounds or who have left their doors or main gates ajar.
The men who had ski masks on would then barge into the house either through the open main gates or by climbing over the perimeter fence.
Carrying machetes they held and tied up their victims with cable tie straps before ransacking the place.
An accomplice believed to be the driver of the getaway car would stand guard outside the house.
In a footage of a closed-circuit security camera (CCTV) made available to theSun of a robbery they committed in an undisclosed location in Selangor, the driver appeared to be well dressed in a traditional baju Melayu and wore a songkok.
While his three accomplices held up their victims, the driver was seen trying to keep the victim's barking dog at bay by spraying water with a garden hose before fleeing from the scene with the others moments later.
Police believe the man was clad in the attire to avoid suspicion.
The latest case reported was at Taman Mastiara Batu 5, Jalan Ipoh at 2.45pm on Saturday where the robbers fled empty handed after the victims retaliated.
The robbers had held up a 49-year-old housewife at parang-point.
However, when her husband and two sons who were inside their house heard the commotion, they set upon the robbers.
The victim's husband picked up a parang an assailant had accidentally dropped during the scuffle before attacking the intruder. The man and his sons suffered slash wounds to their heads and hands in the attack.
It is believed the case was the worst reported as past cases showed the robbers did not inflict serious injuries on their victims.
Selangor police CID chief SAC Datuk Mohd Adnan Abdullah told theSun that a special task force has been formed to track down the gang members.
He said police have positive leads and hope to cripple the gang soon.
Kuala Lumpur police CID chief SAC Datuk Zainuddin Ahmad said two cases were reported in Kuala Lumpur and police are working closely with their Selangor counterpart in tracing the robbers.