SUNGAI PETANI, July 19 — Police have arrested four teenage boys, including three brothers, suspected of stealing motorcycles around the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) parking area near here on July 14.
Kuala Muda district police chief ACP Hanyan Ramlan said preliminary investigations found that the suspects, aged between 14 and 16, were allegedly part of the “Vetri Gang” and stole parked motorcycles by pushing them away as if the vehicles had broken down.
He said police had received reports of 20 motorcycle theft cases in the area.
“The motorcycle registration plates were not changed but used by other suspects as spare parts,” he said at a media conference at the Kuala Muda district police headquarters near here today.
Hanyan said all four suspects had no previous criminal records, while the alleged gang leader, 15, was not attending school.
He said the suspects had been remanded until tomorrow to assist investigations under Section 379A of the Penal Code.
In a separate case, police arrested four men aged between 25 and 31 in Sidam Kiri and Padang Serai on July 14 for suspected involvement in housebreaking and motorcycle thefts.
Hanyan said police seized a kerambit, a fake pistol, nine ball bearings, 0.56g of methamphetamine, two Yamaha RXZ motorcycles and various vehicle components.
The suspects, who have previous criminal and drug records, are being investigated under Sections 457 and 379A of the Penal Code, he said.
In another development, Hanyan said police had solved a series of snatch theft cases with the arrest of a 24-year-old man in Jalan Tupah, Merbok recently.
He said the suspect, who has 14 previous criminal and drug records, was believed to be involved in another 10 snatch theft cases in the district.
The case is being investigated under Section 394 of the Penal Code, while police are tracking down two other men believed to be his accomplices, he said. — Bernama
