UNDERWORLD gangs have returned and are reviving their organised criminal activities, theSun reported today.

This is following reports of crimes linked to gangs earlier this month, the English daily said.

It cited two murders linked to banned Indian gangs reported earlier this month in Selangor, and a clash between two gangs in Taman Sri Sungai Pelek in Sepang on New Year’s Eve.

The clash, believed to be over revenge, led to the death of a father of five, who was slashed when he tried to break up the fight, as well as property damages.

Police arrested 18 suspects. Authorities are expected to file charges including murder, causing hurt, rioting, and possession of dangerous weapons.

Last Tuesday, another death was reported after four men armed with parang attacked a lorry driver while he was having dinner with friends in Jeram, Kuala Selangor.

The daily reported that underworld gangs had stayed off the radar for over three years after the police started the massive nationwide crackdowns on organised crimes like extortion, drug dealing and turf wars.

But after the Ops Cantas crackdown slowed last year, gang leaders who had gone into hiding had started to return to their old “shady and lucrative enterprises” that dealt drugs and extorted protection money, theSun reported.

Selangor CID chief Fadzil Ahmat said police were aware of the growing number of cases involving gangs.

He added that police had ongoing operations and special task forces looking into the problem.

He said preventive laws would also be used against those detained when there was insufficient evidence to charge them in court because there were high chances of them going back to their old ways if freed on remand.

“Last year, over 400 suspected underworld gang members were detained under Poca (Prevention of Law Act), almost twice as many detained under the act in 2016,” he was quoted as saying. – January 15, 2018.