Car thief leads cops on 30km-long pursuit in JB

JOHOR BARU: A car thief led the police on a 30km chase around the city here in a stolen vehicle before he was arrested.

Johor Baru south OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said that a 27-year-old woman had lodged a police report that her car had been stolen in Taman Setia Indah here.

"The victim parked her car in front of her house at around 9pm on Tuesday night. When she wanted to start her day at 6am, she found that her car was missing," he said here on Thursday (Feb 16).

ACP Raub said based on information, a police patrol spotted the stolen vehicle in Larkin, which had been fitted with a fake registration plate, at 7.25pm on Wednesday (Feb 15) evening.

He added that his men ordered the driver to stop but the 43-year-old male suspect sped off.

"The police chased the suspect for about 30 minutes over 30km before we successfully detained him using three more MPVs.

He said during the pursuit, the suspect drove the stolen car dangerously and also hit several other vehicles.

ACP Raub also said that further checks found that the suspect had a record of 31 crimes, including drug offences.

He added the suspect also tested positive for methamphetamine and the stolen car was seized to help with investigations under Section 379A of the Penal Code, Section 186 of the same Act, Section 42 of the Road Transport Act and Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

In an unrelated case, a 16-year-old male teenager was arrested while driving a stolen vehicle during a road block at Taman Setia Indah at around 3.03pm on Wednesday.

ACP Raub said the suspect failed to produce documents to show proof of possession of a car which had been reported stolen.

"The vehicle had been reported missing since 2020," he said, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 379A of the Penal Code.

He also added that both suspects were being remanded until Saturday (Feb 18).

ACP Raub urged the public to come forward with any information pertaining to stolen vehicles to the Johor Baru South police hotline at 07-218 2323.