BUKIT MERTAJAM: Seberang Prai Tengah (SPT) police believe they have busted a notorious cargo theft and hijacking gang following the arrest
of eight suspects, including its mastermind, last week.

With the arrests, police are confident of solving at least eight cargo thefts and several hijacking cases, including a murder case in Seberang Prai Selatan.

SPT police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Shah Hussain Shah yesterday said police obtained their breakthrough on the Maran Gang’s movements while investigating two men involved in a lorry theft case in Bukit Tengah last Monday.

The lorry laden with scrap metal worth about RM38,000 was recovered in Sungai Petani.

Mohd Shah said the two suspects led a police team headed by Chief Inspector S. Mogan to the arrest of the remaining suspects here and in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

He said the gang members were wanted for a series of robberies, warehouse robberies, heavy-vehicle theft and hijackings and the killing of a security guard during a warehouse robbery early this year.

“The gang’s mastermind has 34 criminal convictions over the past 20 years and had served time twice at Simpang Renggam under the Emergency Ordinance Act.

“He had also been banished to Perak and Pahang.” The suspects, aged between 22 and 42, have been remanded for investigation.

In another case, police detained three men in their 30s and recovered four heavy vehicles at the the Bukit Tengah Small and Medium Industrial Park.

The heavy vehicles were reported stolen from George Town, Kuala Lumpur and Gelang Patah, Johor.

Mohd Shah said investigations revealed the gang would steal the heavy vehicles before selling their parts to scrap metal dealers.

In yet another case, police arrested a man for driving a stolen forklift near the Penang Bridge.