Police cripple house break-in gang with arrest of 7 (Updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Police crippled a house break-in gang known as the Ah Leong gang, who had also stolen a hunting rifle from a businessman, with the arrest of seven suspects on Thursday.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Commissioner Datuk Mazlan Lazim said the suspects, who were all locals aged between 19 and 50, were held in a raid between 8am and 5pm in Kajang.
The gang is believed to be involved in 10 robbery and house break-in cases in the city and Klang Valley, especially in Cheras, since early September.
"In one of their previous cases, the suspects broke into a businessman's house in Cheras and poisoned his pit bull to gain access to the house. They also stole a hunting rifle and 186 bullets from the house.
"Since then, Cheras police headquarters set up a team to identify and track them down," Mazlan told reporters at KL police headquarters here.
The first arrest involved the 41-year-old mastermind, who was picked up from a house in Taman Sungai Besi Indah.
"Others were arrested from Taman Megah, Taman Murni and Damai Perdana. The rifle and 186 bullets were retrieved from Damai Perdana at the last arrest place," he added.
Following the arrest, police also seized several equipment used in robberies and house break-ins.
"Police also recovered two cars, believed to be their transport for committing the crimes," Mazlan said.
"The suspects target homes, especially in Cheras, and strike between 8am and 5pm," he added.
Police believe they have solved a total of six house break-in cases in Klang Valley, following the arrests.
All suspects had been remanded under Section 457 of the Penal Code for house break-ins till Nov 7 to facilitate investigations.