BUKIT MERTAJAM: Police busted two motorcycle theft gangs with the arrest of five individuals, including a woman, in separate raids in Seberang Jaya and Perai here yesterday.
Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) district police chief ACP Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abdul said in the first raid, police detained a man, 35, and a 26-year-old woman in a house in Seberang Jaya at 6pm yesterday.
“Following their arrest, the police raided a house in Permatang Pauh and detained a 41-year-old man believed to be the mastermind of the motorcycle gang.
“Police seized a stolen motorcycle and various motorcycle components at the house. They used the house to store the stolen motorcycles,” he said, here today.
He said initial investigation found that the first man and woman arrested were involved in stealing the motorcycles before sending the stolen machines to a third man to be stored before being sold to buyers.
Nik Ros Azhan said the three individuals were believed to be active in motorcycle thefts since last year and were involved in the activity in Seberang Perai Utara and Kulim, Kedah.
“The three detainees have various previous records related to drugs and crime, and they have been remanded four days to facilitate investigations,” he said.
In another development, police detained two men including an Indian national, aged 37 and 40, respectively, in a roadblock in Perai for being involved in motorcycle thefts around SPT district early this morning.
“Their modus operandi was to steal motorcycles in the parking areas of flats and apartments around the district before selling the machines to buyers at low prices,” he said.
Following the arrest of the two men, police seized a stolen motorcycle believed to have been stolen by them and sold to a buyer in Butterworth. — Bernama
