KOTA KINABALU: Police are hunting for a man, Arthur Julian Abit, who is known as Gatok, and is believed to be in involved in car and motorcycle theft around Kota Kinabalu and in nearby areas.
Kota Kinabalu OCPD ACP Habibi Majinji said Gatok is a local man aged 34-years-old, believed to be the gang leader and mastermind in stealing motorcycles and cars since the end of last year, and is on the run.
He said three members of Gatok Gang, namely two Filipinos and one local man, aged between 20 to 39-years-old, were nabbed by police in three separate raids in Kota Kinabalu and Inanam from April 25 to May 2.
The two Filipinos are illegal immigrants whereas the local suspect had previous criminal records for drugs and theft-related offences since 2011, he added.
“Gatok Gang consists of four men, of whom three have been detained while the mastermind Gatok is still free and those with information on his whereabouts are urged to come forward to facilitate investigations,” he said in a press conference, here today.
Those with information on his whereabouts are urged to come forward to facilitate investigations,” he said, adding that they believed the suspects were responsible for the theft of over 10 cars and motorcycles.
ACP Habibi said with the arrest of the three suspects, the city police have solved 10 to 15 cases of car and motorcycle thefts especially around Inanam.
Police also seized two motorcycles and cars each, which were reported missing.
“Investigations showed that the three suspects who were arrested were involved in five motorcycle and four car thefts around Kota Kinabalu since last year,” he said.
On another development, ACP Habibi said police also arrested two out of four Filipino men aged between 36 and 46, believed to be Wahid Gang members who were involved in vehicle thefts in Tawau and around Kota Kinabalu.
Police also seized a white Proton Iswara Aeroback with a fake registration number, and several car washing equipment which were found in the car.
Initial investigations found these men were involved in at least 11 car and motorcycle thefts around Penampang, Putatan, Inanam, Luyang, Papar and Tawau,” he said.
“Investigations showed these men were involved in 12 vehicle thefts, whereby six were in Kota Kinabalu, Penampang (four), and one each in Papar and Tawau since last year.”
On another development, ACP Habibi said a kindergarten teacher lost her car to a robber while she was withdrawing money from a bank in Inanam near Kota Kinabalu at 6.15am today.
He added the 35-year-old woman had gone to the ATM with her 10-year-old son, when the suspect wearing a cap had threatened to hurt the boy before escaping with the victim’s Hyundai Getz MAY6800, cash RM50 and identification document in the woman’s handbag.
He urged the public to inform the police if they had any information about the suspect or the stolen car. - Bernama
