LABUAN: Three students were among seven youths arrested for stealing motorcycles on the island.
The group, comprising those aged 14 to 18, are believed to have been involved in the theft of at least four motorcycles since June.
Labuan police chief Superintendent Mohd Hamizi Halim said they formed a special team to track the suspects after receiving four separate reports of motorcycle thefts from a single location on June 17 and July 26.
One stolen motorcycle was recovered on July 14. It was hidden in some bushes in Kampung Bedaun.
On July 27, a day after the final theft, the police arrested two teenagers and recovered another stolen motorcycle.
This led to the arrest of five other teenagers and the recovery of the other stolen motorcycles which had been thrown into a river.
"The group would look for motorcycles at night when people were asleep. They would target motorcycles that were not locked with loop chains and push them elsewhere to be hidden.
"They would then buy new ignition switches and replace the ones in the stolen motorcycles."
All seven suspects were charged in court today under Section 414 of the Penal Code for concealing or disposing of stolen property.
If found guilty, they face up to seven years in jail.