MIRI: Police have crippled the Ah Ho Gang following the arrests of five members in raids conducted between Feb 19 and 21.
The gang have been stealing vehicles for the past six months, and seven of the vehicles worth around RM200,000 were recovered in the operation.
Miri Police chief ACP Lim Meng Seah said the suspects, aged between 35 and 44, were nabbed following intelligence gathering for about two weeks.
The first arrest was made in Tudan Permyjaya on Feb 19 at 1.05pm. The suspect was driving a Toyota Vios car with a fake licence plate.
“The suspect acted aggressively and he attempted to crash his car into a police vehicle.
“A check on the car found that it was reported missing on Feb 16. The vehicle is from Brunei,” he told a press conference at Miri District Police Headquarters here yesterday.
Also seized in the first raid were two stolen vehicles — Toyota Vios and Proton Perdana — found at two separate locations.
The suspect has 10 previous criminal records, of which seven were for car thefts, one for burglary and two for drug abuse.
“Following the arrest, the suspect revealed the whereabouts of his five accomplices and police later raided several homes,” Lim said.
Four men were picked up from houses in Jalan Airport, Jalan Luak Bay, Jalan Pujut and Jalan Lutong-Kuala Baram.
“As a result of the arrests, we also seized four vehicles from four separate Iocations.
On the modus operandi, Lim revealed that the suspects would break the rear passenger window before turning off the alarm using a special tool and then drilling the ignition to start the vehicle with a modified allen key.
“The arrests of the five suspects have solved 15 cases, namely 12 car thefts involving six Bruneian vehicles and six local vehicles, including in Bintulu and Selangau.
“Meanwhile, three more cases involved car theft attempt (Section 397A / 511 of the Penal Code), robbery case (Section 393 of the Penal Code) and treason (Section 427 of the Penal Code).
“We are still looking for some gang members and several vehicles that have yet to be found,” he added.
