AMPANG: Two gangs of motorcycle thieves were busted with the arrests of eight men in Klang Valley and Negri Sembilan.
The members of the two gangs dubbed "Gang Patah" and "Gang Ajib" were rounded up in an operation codenamed "Ops Lejang" which began on Nov 25.
Ampang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mohamad Farouk Eshak said police busted Gang Patah with the arrests of four men in Gombak, Sentul and Setapak.
"We arrested four men aged between 34 and 40, who worked as mechanics and dispatch riders, in a series of raids.
"We also seized three motorcycles and a frame of a motorcycle," he told a press conference at the Ampang Jaya district police headquarters on Wednesday (Dec 7).
The gang targeted motorcycles, which were parked on the ground floor of flats and apartments as well as motorcycles left at the side of the road, he said.
"We believe they have been active since last year.
"All four suspects have prior criminal records dating back as far as 2003," he said.
The gang would strip stolen motorcycles for parts before selling it on the black market, ACP Mohamad Farouk said.
"All four of them also tested positive for methamphetamine.
"They have since been handed over to Wangsa Maju police for other similar cases after their remand expired on Dec 4," he added.
In another case, ACP Mohamad Farouk said police detained another four men aged between 24 and 34 in Gombak as well as Rantau and Linggi in Negri Sembilan.
"The suspects used similar tactics of the previous gang but the stolen motorcycles were stripped for parts mostly for their own use.
"They would steal motorcycles at random times and operate in groups of two or four," he said.
Several items were seized from the suspects including three motorcycles, several mobile phones and various parts of a motorcycle, he said.
"All four suspects tested positive for methamphetamine while three of them had prior criminal records," he said.
ACP Mohamad Farouk the successful arrests of the two gangs would not be possible without the assistance of the public.
"The cooperation of the public is vital to prevent and curb crimes," he said.
