KUANTAN: Police have stepped up patrols following two gold shop robberies that occurred in Pahang this week.
Acting Pahang police chief Datuk Azry Akmar Ayob said the focus was on jewellery shops located in shophouse areas, on roadsides and on premises without security guards.
"District police chiefs have been instructed to conduct more frequent patrols in the affected areas as a preventive measure," he said when contacted by Bernama on Saturday (Aug 22).
He said police found that most of the jewellery shops with smaller operations were equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that were either not functioning or merely dummy cameras, making it difficult for the police to obtain recordings that could assist in investigations in the event of a crime.
On Friday (Aug 21), four suspects armed with machetes and an object resembling a pump gun stole jewellery worth an estimated RM500,000 from a jewellery shop in Taman Pandan Damai here.
On Monday (Aug 17), three men armed with axes and crowbars escaped with 81 pieces of jewellery weighing 2.5 kilogrammes and valued at RM1.74 million from a goldsmith at the SkyAvenue mall, Genting Highlands.
Meanwhile, Azry Akmar said initial investigations found that the two robberies were unrelated and involved different suspects.
"Further investigations are underway, and police are still tracking down those involved in the cases," he said. – Bernama
