KUALA LUMPUR: Twelve people, including four women, were detained in connection with a gang robbery targeting a Taiwanese YouTuber at a condominium in Cheras here.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Fadil Marsus said police received a report from a Japanese man on Aug 1 concerning the incident.
He said the victim, a Taiwanese man who works as a YouTuber, was assaulted and robbed by the suspects.
"The victim suffered injuries and losses amounting to about RM35,000," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Aug 12).
Comm Fadil said the suspects were believed to have targeted the victim after learning that he had a large amount of cash in foreign currencies.
"This was believed to have been the initial trigger for the criminal act," he said.
Following the report, a special operation was launched by the Cheras district police headquarters' Criminal Investigation Division together with the Kuala Lumpur CID.
Comm Fadil said all 12 suspects were arrested in separate operations in Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur.
"The suspects comprise eight men and four women, all Malaysians aged between 26 and 48.
"Seven of the suspects were released on police bail on Aug 7 after their statements were recorded.
"The remaining five suspects have been remanded until Aug 13 to assist with investigations," he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 170 of the Penal Code for impersonating a public servant and Section 395 of the same law for gang robbery.
Comm Fadil said police are also tracking down another suspect who remains at large.
He urged those with information on the suspect to come forward to assist in the investigation.
