Wednesday August 25, 2010
Cops bust syndicate that stole more than 20 motorcycles a month
JOHOR BARU: Using a modified Allen key worth RM6, a motor_cycle theft syndicate managed to rake in more than RM10,000 monthly over the past six months. The syndicate, which goes by the name “Black Gang”, was finally brought down after eight gang members were arrested in a series of raids around the city and Taman Johor Jaya recently. Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Yaacob said the syndicate was responsible for more than 20 motorcycle thefts a month in the city.
He said that eight men, aged between 16 and 40, were arrested between Aug 17 and Aug 22 following a tip-off. “We also seized four Yamaha and one Honda motorcycles along with three motorcycle frames and three Yamaha motorcycle engines. “The thieves only needed five seconds to steal the motorcycles using the Allen key,” he told a press conference yesterday.
ACP Zainuddin said that they also seized several modified Allen keys, which were used to unlock and start the stolen vehicles. He said the gang would use the Allen key to switch on the motorcycle’s ignition. “The Allen key can be easily bought at any hardware shop in the city,” he said.
He said that the gang would then erase the stolen motorcycle’s chassis number before selling the machine to unsus_pecting buyers. ACP Zainuddin said that the syndicate targeted motorcycles that did not have additional anti-theft security devices including tyre lock systems.
