KOTA KINABALU: Police have successfully arrested a local unemployed man responsible for 31 cases of home burglaries and business premises break-ins, resulting in a total loss of RM119,965.
The 20-year-old suspect was apprehended by a team of officers and members of the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters Crime Investigation Department in a house in Taman Keramat, Jalan Tuaran, yesterday.
Kota Kinabalu police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said that the suspect admitted to being involved in 31 cases of home burglaries and business premises break-ins around the city, namely in Luyang, Kepayan, Likas, Tanjung Aru, Inanam, and one case in Penampang.
"The suspect has been actively involved in solo home burglaries since 2023, with the latest incident occurring at a business premises in Likas on Dec 31, 2023, resulting in a loss of approximately RM7,000," he said during a media briefing at the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters today.
Present at the briefing were Deputy Superintendent Khairulshah Peri, Head of the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters Crime Investigation Department, and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Henry AK Laiyau, a research and operations officer at the Crime Investigation Department.
The suspect, who tested positive for Methamphetamine, also has a history of 11 past offences, including theft, burglary, and disposing of stolen goods. The investigation revealed that the total losses suffered by the victims in all 31 cases amounted to RM119,965, involving three home burglaries, 27 shop break-ins, and one office break-in.
Police confiscated various items resulting from the burglaries, including a generator, drill set, two mobile phones, four tablets, three backpacks, credit cards, and burglary tools.
Zaidi said that the suspect confessed to committing the crimes solo, but the police are conducting a more detailed investigation to determine if there are any accomplices.
Despite the suspect wearing a hat and face covering as seen from CCTV footage, investigators were still able to obtain a complete fingerprint..
Following this, the police gathered details about the suspect and conducted a raid at the suspect's residence.
The suspect's modus operandi involved using a crowbar and drill to break into homes and business premises through the main door.
The stolen items, mostly sold randomly to drug dealers, were also discarded in a lake on Jalan Seri Gaya. Cash obtained from the burglaries was used by the suspect for daily expenses, socialising with friends, hiring prostitutes, and purchasing drugs.
The suspect is now remanded for seven days until Jan 14, 2024, as the police continue a more in-depth investigation under Sections 457 and 380 of the Penal Code.