KUALA LUMPUR: The three Colombian men who were nabbed in Brickfields on Tuesday were not linked to the recent spate of ATM hackings in Selangor, Malacca and Johor, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said.
He said they were suspects in several house break-ins in Thailand.
“We are now working with other Asean countries in sharing information on those who were involved in house break-ins, especially foreigners who come to Malaysia to commit such crimes,” he said after a ceremony showcasing new horses for the mounted police unit.
It is learnt that the men, in their 20s and 30s, had entered the country via the Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah, border and were on the Thai authorities’ wanted list.
Following a tip-off, the men were arrested at a hotel in Little India, Jalan Tun Sambanthan on Tuesday in an operation led by the Bukit Aman Special Operations (D8).
Khalid also said the police would continue to monitor the Kuala Sepetang area that was reportedly a stronghold of organised crime groups.
“We are not denying that there is crime in the area. We know that at one time it was an area where smuggling takes place.
“I still believe it occurs, but it is not as bad as portrayed,” he said.
A newspaper reported on Sunday that “mafia” activities were rampant in the area, comprising the township of Kuala Sepetang, Bagan Panchor and Pulau Kuala Sangga.
The report claimed there was smuggling, drug trafficking, gambling and encroachment into government land by illegal immigrants who were controlled by syndicates.
On another matter, Khalid said the police would focus the investigation into the death of Teoh Beng Hock on his final moments and whoever might have been with him then.
“We will check who he was meeting at the time,” Khalid added.
It was reported that Bukit Aman will reopen Teoh’s case following the Court of Appeal’s decision to set aside the coroner’s open verdict in the inquest on the case.
Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh had said the police would take another look at the case in which initial findings ruled that it was a sudden death.
Khalid also denied that the police were against calls to form an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
“We were never against the IPCMC. We just did not agree with the terms as it does not give the police force any rights. It is as though the police are second class citizens,” he added.
