KUALALUMPUR: Police crippled a four-wheel drive smuggling syndicate in the capital with the arrest of five men and the recovery of 21 vehicles, including a Mini Austin Morris, in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong, last Thursday.
The bust at the used car yard which was a result from a public tip-off was estimated to be worth RM1.2 million.
City police chief Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said three suspects were detained at the used car yard itself while two others were apprehended in Sri Muda, Shah Alam, later the same day.
“All those arrested are local men believed to be members of a car smuggling syndicate responsible for smuggling cars, mainly Toyota Hilux, out of the country.
“Police found a Mini Austin Morris and 20 Toyota Hilux with the chassis numbers either tampered with or replaced carefully, which had been reported as stolen,” Mazlan told reporters at a press conference at Bukit Jalil police station this evening.
He said of the cars, 4 were stolen in Cheras, Damansara, Sri Petaling and Machang Bubok, 6 had no records at Road Transport Department and the rest were vehicles with the chassis numbers tampered with, believed to be in preparation ahead of smuggling them to the Middle East.
“Many of them are cars assembled between 2014 and 2017, relatively still new and in demand in other countries, especially countries in the Middle East,” he said.
He said the syndicate was famous for using freight containers to ship out the cars discreetly to their agents on the other side, without being traced.
Mazlan said the vehicles would be sent to forensics for further investigation while police identify the other syndicate members involved in the smuggling racket.
” All five suspects have been remanded to facilitate investigation under Section 379 (a) and Section 413 of the Penal Code.”