Latin Americans suspected to be RM10 mil gem thieves

PETALING JAYA (Feb 4, 2014): The RM10 million goldsmiths store heist at the One Utama shopping mall here is believed to be the work of a gang of Latin Americans.
Selangor deputy police chief DCP Datuk Abdul Rahim said today close-circuit security cameras (CCTV) showed five burglars believed to be foreigners carrying the loot in bags fleeing from the mall early on Monday.
He said police believe the burglars may have sneaked into the mall on Sunday night, executed the break-in at the Wah Chan Jewellers store on the first floor of the mall's new wing before fleeing in the wee hours of Monday.
He said the burglar alarm at the store did not trigger as thieves had deactivated motion sensors.
He said the foreigners had even shut down the power supply causing an hour-long blackout to gain entry into the mall on Sunday.
"There was a sudden cut in electricity on Sunday night for about an hour which we believe is linked to the gang when they sneaked into the mall. The thieves also stole a CCTV recorder which was mounted in the goldsmith store. After viewing security cameras in the mall, our findings show they appear to be foreigners, possibly Latin Americans." Abdul Rahim said at a press conference at the Kajang district police headquarters today.
He said all borders and checkpoints have been put on alert for the suspects and police attempting to narrow down on the culprits by checking immigration records of Latin Americans who had entered the country.
He said forensics police have lifted several fingerprints from the store and have not discounted the possibility of an "inside job".
He said except for a wire cutter, the thieves also took along all the break-in equipment including a gas welding blowtorch they brought with them.
Abdul Rahim said although it was yet to be verified, the store personnel had estimated the loss at RM10 million.
The mall located at Bandar Utama here was closed for business between Friday and Sunday in conjunction with the Chinese New Year.
On Monday, when staff of the goldsmiths store reported to work, they found the place had been broken into and gold jewellery stored in a safe vault was missing.
The burglars had used a blowtorch to break into the steel vault during the heist which is believed to be the single biggest heist involving goldsmith shops in the country in recent years.