Police cripple syndicate dealing in stolen heavy vehicle parts

PORT KLANG: Police have busted a syndicate supplying millions of ringgit worth of cannibalised spare parts from heavy vehicles to Pakistan and Egypt for over a year now.
The syndicate codenamed "Botak Siva" is run jointly by both locals and foreigners has been active since 2015.
Selangor police chief Commissioner Datuk Mazlan Mansor said the modus operandi of the suspects was to disable the lorry alarm systems by using frequency jammers before driving them to a warehouse in Klang.
"The syndicate members will dismantle the lorry components in the warehouse. The components would be then stored in shipping containers and delivered to Middle Eastern destinations.
"Following a tip-off, two syndicate members - a local and a Bangladeshi – were arrested on Jan 23 at a warehouse in Kampung Batu 7 here. They were in the midst of dismantling lorry components," he told reporters here today.
He said following interrogation, the duo then led police to the arrest of an Egyptian and another local man two days later.
"We believe the Egyptian is the coordinator and middleman for the sale and exportation of the stolen lorry components when it arrives in the Middle East whereas his partner, the local, is the transporter of the stolen components," he added.
Mazlan said the fifth suspect was arrested on Feb 13, which brought the total number of suspects to five, aged between 33 and 44.
Following an investigation with the help of the Singapore police force and Interpol, police recovered a container in Singapore.
The shipping container was declared as second-hand vehicle parts.
Mazlan revealed the container was seized and subsequently brought back to Port Klang for further checks where police found RM2 million worth of stolent parts - 13 engines, 49 shock absorbers, 11 mounting bars, 13 front axle beams, eight fuel tanks, and six lorry exhaust pipes.
Police have managed to trace five stolen lorry components with four cases reported in Klang Valley and one in Seremban.
It was also discovered that the syndicate had exported four shipping containers fitted with stolen components twice to Pakistan and twice to Egypt last year.
"The stolen items is estimated to be worth RM12 million (120 lorry engines). Each shipping container is able to fit 30 spare parts," added Mazlan.
Police have formed a team under Ops Lejang to hunt for more suspects to facilitate the investigation.
Some 510 heavy vehicle theft cases were recorded in Selangor last year and 670 cases in 2016.
The suspects are under remand and the case is being investigated under Section 413 of the Penal Code for habitually dealing in stolen property.