Wangsa Maju OCPD Supt Mohamad Roy Suhaimi Sarif showing the toy gun believed to be used in one of the robberies.
KUALA LUMPUR: A 19-year-old suspect, believed to be the leader of a robbery gang, was arrested barely five minutes after robbing a convenience shop in Wangsa Maju.
The suspect, known as "Lan Keramat", was detained by a patrol team that was on a routine check in the area.
Prior to the arrest, the suspect and his accomplice had gone into the shop and demanded the cashier to hand over the cash and 40 packs of cigarettes.
Wangsa Maju OCPD Supt Mohamad Roy Suhaimi Sarif said the teenager was armed with an object that looked like a gun.
"He pointed the object, that was how he managed to get RM636 from the cashier. But before he and his accomplice could flee, a patrol team spotted them.
"His friend managed to escape on foot but he was arrested on the spot in last Sunday's incident," Supt Mohamad Roy said at a press conference here Thursday.
Police recovered a toy gun, about RM300 cash and nine packs of cigarettes with the arrest of the youth.
Checks found that the unemployed youth had a past record involving car theft and was tested positive for drugs.
"We found a key on him and that led us to a car that was reported stolen in Wangsa Maju on March 23," he said.
Investigations also revealed that his gang is known as "Lan Keramat" and "Gang Kapak".
Supt Mohamad Roy said the arrest of "Lan Keramat" led police to the second suspect, a 22-year-old apparel business owner, who was arrested in Wangsa Maju at 6.30pm on Sunday (Sept 12).
"The man has three drug-related past records. He was the one who fled when Lan was arrested.
"Our probe also led us to the arrests of the third and fourth members of the gang between 7.09pm and 7.30pm in Keramat on the same day.
"Based on our interrogation, the third and fourth suspects were involved in another convenience shop robbery on Sept 10 which occurred at 5.50am," he said, adding that the group is being remanded for a week until Sept 19.
With the arrests of the suspects, Supt Mohamad Roy said police had solved six convenience shop robbery cases in the district including four in Wangsa Maju and two in Pudu.
"In one of the robberies at a karaoke joint in Wangsa Maju, the suspects had used an axe. That was why they are also dubbed 'Gang Kapak'," he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 395/396 for gang robbery.
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