KUALA LUMPUR: Police have dismantled two motorcycle theft gangs, known as Geng Awey and Geng Alep, following the arrest of seven local men in separate raids under "Op Lejang" in the capital.
Wangsa Maju district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Lazim Ismail, said the first operation on Dec 6 involved three raids across the Klang Valley, which led to the arrest of five men, aged between 31 and 43, believed to be members of Geng Awey.
"During questioning, they admitted to being involved in 21 vehicle theft cases, including 19 under the Wangsa Maju district police headquarters (IPD) and one case each under Sentul IPD and Cheras IPD, with total losses estimated at RM139,600. Guided by the suspects, police recovered and seized nine mobile phones, a tablet, nine motorcycle frames, and two motorcycles believed to have been stolen," he said during a press conference at the Wangsa Maju IPD today.
He added that further investigations led to the recovery of stolen motorcycle parts dumped in several rivers around Gombak.
"With the assistance of the fire department, police retrieved seven motorcycle frames, two motorcycle components, two rims, a front fork, and a footrest," he said.
The gang is believed to have been active since 2016, and background checks revealed that all the suspects had prior criminal records.
In the second operation on Dec 17, police arrested two men, aged 17 and 20, suspected to be members of Geng Alep, by the roadside at Jalan AU 5D/7 in Lembah Keramat.
"The first suspect admitted to involvement in seven vehicle theft cases, while the second suspect was released on police bail. The gang is believed to have been active this year in Wangsa Maju, Sentul, and Cheras. Following the arrests, police seized a Yamaha 135 LC motorcycle, a spanner, and a screwdriver," he said.
Four investigation papers have been opened, two under Wangsa Maju IPD and one each under Sentul IPD and Cheras IPD. Police believe they have solved 20 motorcycle theft cases in the district, with total losses amounting to RM128,000.
He said that both gangs' modus operandi involved stealing locked motorcycles by breaking the vehicles' necks before transporting them to illegal workshops for dismantling. "The dismantled components were then sold for prices ranging from RM300 to RM700, with the items advertised on social media platforms like Facebook. The cases are being investigated under Section 379A of the Penal Code and Section 29(1) of the Minor Offences Act 1955," he said.
In an unrelated case, police arrested two men, including an ex-convict recently released from Kajang Prison, for allegedly robbing a Russian tourist, resulting in losses exceeding RM10,000.
Mohamad Lazim said the two local suspects, aged 30 and 29, were arrested at a motorcycle parking area of the Pekan Kepong People's Housing Project (PPR) in Jalan Silang on Dec 19.
The arrests followed a report from a Russian tourist in her 50s, whose bag was snatched by two motorcyclists on Dec 12.
"The snatch theft occurred on Jalan Sejahtera, Jalan Tun Razak, around 6pm, while the victim was walking to the Ampang Park MRT station to board a train to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The victim was scheduled to return to Russia that day but had to delay her flight for three days due to the incident," he said.
The victim lost US$1,500 (RM6,630) and 10.26 million Rupiah (RM2,854), as well as personal documents, including her passport and mobile phone. "During questioning, both suspects admitted to the crime. Background checks revealed that neither suspect was employed. One of the suspects, aged 30, had been released from Kajang Prison on July 31. The first suspect has 33 prior criminal records, while the second has 17," he said.
Further investigations revealed that the stolen foreign currency had been exchanged for nearly RM10,000 at a money changer, which the suspects divided between themselves, using part of the money to settle debts.
"Three investigation papers have been opened, with two under IPD Wangsa Maju and one under IPD Dang Wangi. The suspects are now in remand for further investigation under Section 392 of the Penal Code and are scheduled to be charged in the Kuala Lumpur court tomorrow," he said.
Ends