KOTA KINABALU: A husband and wife who had been actively shoplifting at malls the district had their theft streak ended when they were caught yesterday afternoon.
The couple was arrested at Centre Point by the police with their seven-year-old son in tow.
Kota Kinabalu district police chief Assistant Commisioner, M. Chandra, said the couple, who had been on the prowl since May, last year, was arrested at 3.20pm by a team from the Serious Crimes Division.
“The arrest was made following a police report lodged by a man who claimed that a wrist watch at his shop had gone missing on April 9.
“The CCTV (closed-circuit television camera) recording which was obtained from the premises showed the couple seen stealing the watch.
“The police then arrested the couple and son at the mall based on this information,” he told reporters today.
He said based on information gathered during the interrogation process, policemen carried out checks on a room in Taman Rindu, Luyang, and found various stolen items including clothes, handbags, wallet, socks, eight wrist watches, three bottles of perfumes and slippers, believed to have been stolen by the trio.
“Further checks revealed that the couple had been active around the city, especially Imago, Suria Sabah, KK Plaza and Centre Point since May, last year.
"They admitted to have stolen the seized items with price tags still attached to them,” he said.
Chandra said the modus operandi of the perpetrators was to bring along their son to shopping malls.
He said they would then put the stolen items in a bag before leaving the premises.
“Investigation is ongoing and all the confiscated items were brought to the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters. The husband and wife, aged 41 and 33, respectively, were arrested under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft,” he said.