PAHANG police have managed to cripple two vehicle theft syndicates – the Jering Chini gang and the Abu Pandan gang – which were believed to have been active in Kuantan, state police chief, Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said.

He said the Jering Chini gang, comprising of four local men, aged 28 to 35, was believed to have been active since last month and was involved in three cases of car theft and four armed robberies using parang and swords.

“They were believed to have stopped their victims by the roadside before robbing them of their jewellery, mobile phones, cash and personal documents in addition to stealing motorcycles parked in public places and cars left idling with their engine running.

“The losses are estimated to be RM38,000,” Ramli said at a press conference held at the centralised case evidence storage at Indera Mahkota today.

Ramli also said all the suspects, who tested positive for methamphetamine, were arrested in raids around Paloh Hinai and Felda Chini in Pekan over a period of four days beginning December 27 and have been remanded until January 9 to facilitate investigations.

Police also seized four mobile phones, two parang, a sword, three pieces of jewellery and two Proton Wira cars. Police also found a torched Perodua Axia.

In a separate case, police arrested five men, including a male Rohingya, all aged from 22 to 53, believed to be members of the Abu Pandan gang, for stealing eight vehicles of various types to be sold at a scrapyard in Indera Mahkota owned by one of the suspects.

“The group is believed to have been active since April and specialised in stealing vehicles left by the roadside, in front of workshops or public parking areas by using a tow truck belonging to one of the suspects and bringing them to a workshop to be chopped up before being sold, ” he said.

Their activities were exposed after police detained a syndicate member at Perkampungan Bukit Setongkol at 3.15am on December 21, which led to the subsequent arrest of the other members under Op Lenjang in a five-day period.

The police also seized six vehicles of various types, the engine of a lorry and a lorry and 17 sales receipts of vehicle spare parts with losses totalling around RM35,500.

Ramli added that four out of the five suspects tested positive for drugs. All the suspects are remanded until January 6. – Bernama, January 3, 2022.