KUALA LUMPUR: A gang of snatch thieves and robbers responsible for more than 40 cases, was busted with the arrests of five men and three women.
The suspects, in their 30s, were detained in raids conducted in Teluk Memang, Port Dickson and Kuala Lumpur on March 28 and Monday (April 29) in an operation codenamed "Ops Rentap Trio".
Kuala Lumpur CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Habibi Majinji said the gang was responsible for 40 snatch theft cases and five motorcycle thefts in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Melaka.
"The majority of their cases are in Kuala Lumpur. They have been operating for about a year.
"They would target pedestrians to be snatch theft victims in popular locations such as near Suria KLCC, mostly on the weekends and public holidays," he told a press conference at the KL police headquarters on Thursday (May 2).
The suspects would sell stolen items, especially gold jewellery to another person for profits, he said.
"One of the women detained is the buyer while the two other women are girlfriends of the male suspects.
"Some of the suspects had prior criminal records while five of them tested positive for drugs," he said.
In some cases, the suspects would injure the victims while snatching their belongings, he said.
"There are other cases where the suspects were armed with knives. They would often be on motorcycles bearing fake number plates," he said.
Several items were seized including several motorcycles, helmets and tools, he added.
SAC Habibi said the suspects have been remanded until Friday (May 3).
"We are investigating them under Section 379A and Section 392 of the Penal Code.
"We have handed over the investigation paper to the deputy public prosecutor and 18 cases are expected to be charged in Kuala Lumpur," he said.
SAC Habibi said the number of snatch theft cases showed a 144% spike between January and late March this year compared to the same period last year.
"In 2023, a total of 72 snatch theft cases were recorded between Jan and late March while this year, a total of 176 cases were recorded in the same period.
"KL CID is adamant in curbing snatch theft in the city and we will be making more arrests in the future," he said.
