SEREMBAN: Police busted a house break-in and luxury vehicle theft syndicate known as the 'Molekwei Gang' following the arrest of five locals, including two women, in a series of raids carried out in Negri Sembilan and Kedah from Aug 16 to 18.
Negri Sembilan police chief Datuk Ruslan Khalid said all the suspects, aged 31 to 41, are believed to be involved in stealing five cars, including Toyota Hilux, Vios, Honda and Mercedes Benz.
"Police also seized various items including liquor, mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and tools such as Allen keys, screwdrivers and pliers, estimated to be worth RM500,000.
"The gang's modus operandi was for several individuals to break into houses before handing over the stolen goods to other individuals who acted as middlemen to find buyers both in the local market and abroad," he told Bernama today.
Ruslan said the syndicate targets residential areas in Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur and has been active for the past two to three months, selling stolen vehicles to prospective buyers for RM30,000, depending on the type.
He adds that the investigation found that the group were committing crimes for the past 10 years, and two men had 12 previous drug records and were on wanted record.
"All the suspects have been remanded under Section 457/379A of the Penal Code. The police are still investigating if there are remaining members still at large," he added.
Meanwhile, in another development, four local men known as the 3K Gang members, aged 21 to 26, were detained on suspicion of committing robberies on convenience stores around Negeri Sembilan and Selangor on Aug 17 and 18, respectively.
"They committed armed robberies late at night and early morning. Police also seized a Proton Iswara Aeroback, fake registration number plate, folding knife and mobile phones
"With the arrest of four suspects, police managed to solve robberies at five KK Mart convenience stores since early August in Negeri Sembilan and Selangor since the beginning of August," he said.
He added that the police are tracking down an individual identified as S.Sritharan, 24, whose last known address at Telok Panglima Garang, and is believed to be involved in this case. - Bernama