BENTONG: Police crippled an armed robbery gang known as 'Geng Heri', believed to be active in the Klang Valley and Bentong in Pahang, following the arrest of five suspects between Dec 8 and 15.
Pahang police chief Comm Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the suspects, aged between 27 and 34, were arrested in several raids across Gombak, Selangor and Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.
The operation involved officers from the Pahang Criminal Investigation Department and Bentong police headquarters.
He said police are also hunting another suspect Mohd Faizal Supriadi, known as Peja, 33.
"The suspects were first tracked after a report from a Bangladeshi man, who was robbed by the gang on Oct 29 at his grocery store along Jalan Lama Kuala Lumpur-Bentong.
"The victim claimed a group of men armed with machetes and metal bars, who also pretended to be police officers, tied his hands.
"During the robbery, the gang stole a mobile phone and RM8,000 in cash, causing a loss of RM9,500,” he told a press conference here on Tuesday (Dec 17).
Comm Yahaya said the group used the tactic of impersonating police officers before robbing their victims, often targeting foreign nationals.
During the raids, police seized three firearms, one of which was an air pistol while the other two were Pietro Beretta and CZ 75D Compact pistols, along with 62 rounds of various ammunition, believed to have been sourced from a neighbouring country.
Police also seized three 'kerambits', a knife and a Yamaha motorcycle.
Urine tests conducted on the five suspects showed that four of them tested positive for amphetamine. - Bernama