RANAU: A 29-year-old man was sentenced to a total of 20 months’ jail by the Magistrate’s Court here after pleading guilty to two separate offences involving possession of stolen property and unlawful possession of burglary tools.
Abd Aleef Khazaider bin Abdul Kadir received a 14-month jail sentence after admitting to dishonestly retaining a stolen Perodua Ativa, and a further six months for possessing burglary implements without lawful authority.
Both sentences are to run from the date of his arrest on May 18, 2026.
For the first offence, Abd Aleef was charged under Section 411 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, for dishonestly receiving or retaining stolen property.
The owner, Joshua Daniel Dasau, had earlier reported that his vehicle disappeared on April 12 after he fell asleep inside the car parked along Jalan Besar near Metro Town in Kota Kinabalu, but later awoke lying on the grass by the road.
According to the investigation, the complainant was awakened by a motorcyclist and then discovered that his vehicle had been driven away. He immediately lodged a police report, estimating his losses at about RM82,000, including items left inside the vehicle.
Following further investigations, officers from the Kota Kinabalu Criminal Investigation Department arrested the accused on June 2 before he was subsequently linked to the recovered vehicle found in Ranau on May 18.
During the same operation in Ranau, police also discovered several implements commonly associated with housebreaking inside the vehicle, including a bolt cutter, wire cutter and a knife.
The discovery resulted in a second charge under Section 18(a) of the Minor Offences Ordinance (Sabah Cap. 80) for possession of burglary tools without lawful excuse.
The second charge stemmed from investigations into a break-in reported at an unnumbered shop in Kampung Luanti Baru, Ranau.
The complainant, Moris @ Mohd Mazalan bin Majangki @ Mazli, told investigators that he discovered his shop had been broken into after noticing signs of forced entry.
The shop, which had ceased operations several months earlier, still contained kitchen equipment and other business items belonging to him.
Police estimated the complainant’s losses at approximately RM1,200.
Investigators believed the suspect entered and left the premises through the front door before fleeing the scene in the same black Perodua Ativa later found in his possession.
The investigation also established that the accused had no lawful reason to possess the cutting tools recovered from the vehicle.
The court ordered Abd Aleef to serve 14 months’ jail for the offence under Section 411 of the Penal Code and six months’ imprisonment for the offence under Section 18(a) of the Minor Offences Ordinance, with both sentences to run concurrently from May 18, 2026.
