03 May 2013| last updated at 12:37AM
Student among 4 held for breaking into cars
By PHUAH KEN LIN | [email protected]
Northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Gan Kong Meng (second from right) showing some of the items that were recovered from the suspects. Pic by Rudy Syarame Sherifuddin
MAJOR SUCCESS: Police say suspects had stolen RM50,000 from 15 cars
GEORGE TOWN: POLICE smashed a gang responsible for at least 15 cases of breaking into cars with the arrest of four suspects, including a 16-year-old secondary school student.
Northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Gan Kong Meng said the gang had been active since January and had amassed at least RM50,000 in cash and valuables stolen from cars.
"We recovered RM21,000 worth of various electronic devices, including 41 mobile phones and 10 laptops.
"Car owners should refrain from leaving valuables in their vehicles. Any valuables left exposed in the vehicles will definitely attract the attention of thieves," Gan said at a press conference at the district police headquarters in Jalan Patani here yesterday.
Gan said the modus operandi of the syndicate was to break the cars' windows with helmets before taking what they wanted. He said the four suspects, between the ages of 16 and 44, were nabbed at a food court in Tanjung Bunga about 2am last Friday.
In another case, police arrested six suspects, between the ages of 18 and 26, in connection with the pre-dawn armed robbery at a 24-hour convenience store in Sungai Dua, here, last Sunday.
He said they were detained at Bukit Jambul and Bayan Lepas t on Monday after a tip-off.
Closed-circuit television camera footage taken at the scene showed that the suspects had used what looked like a gun and a parang to rob the store of RM950.
"We also seized a fake pistol, a penknife and a vehicle from the suspects," Gan said.
