MELAKA: Melaka police have dismantled a Rohingya robbery gang with the arrest of six of its members, says Melaka police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar.
The arrests were made just four days after they allegedly escaped with RM200,000 worth of aluminium formwork from a construction material storage site in Sungai Udang here.
DCP Dzulkhairi said the suspects, aged between 18 and 38, were arrested in Kajang, Selangor, on June 19 following the robbery, which took place at about 2am on June 15.
He said the modus operandi of the gang was to tie the hands and legs of a security guard before fleeing with the aluminium formwork stored at the warehouse.
"Acting on intelligence, my officers launched Ops Cargo in Kajang and successfully arrested all six male Rohingya suspects," he said in a statement on Wednesday (July 8).
DCP Dzulkhairi said police also seized two lorries and three sacks containing aluminium blocks believed to have been processed from the stolen aluminium formwork. They also recovered two scrap metal sales receipts worth RM101,816 and RM27,440, respectively.
He said the total losses from the incident were estimated at about RM200,000.
DCP Dzulkhairi said all six suspects would be charged at the Magistrates' Court in Ayer Keroh here on Thursday (July 9) under Section 395 of the Penal Code. The section governs gang robbery, where the offence carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years and whipping.
He added that Melaka police would continue to step up operations against violent and property-related crimes to ensure those involved were brought to justice.
