JOHOR BARU: Six men have been arrested here for a series of robberies, car thefts and using fake guns to intimidate victims.
Johor Baru North acting OCPD Supt Fariz Ammar Abdullah said that police received several reports on the crimes committed by the individuals between Feb 24 and March 20 this year.
“On March 20, we arrested a 31-year-old man believed to be involved in two cases where he used an object that looks like a gun to carry out robberies.
“The first incident was on March 16 where the suspect used the fake gun to rob a 24-hour convenience store in Taman Perling and got away with RM300 worth of goods and Touch’n Go reload receipts.
“The second incident was on March 18 where the same man had robbed a similar store in Skudai with the fake gun and walked away with RM400 worth of goods and Touch’n Go reload receipts,” he said in a statement here.
He said that the suspect, who has a record related to crimes and drugs, is also a wanted person, and was arrested at a housing area in Tampoi.
“The suspect, who also tested positive for drugs, is being remanded for six days to assist in investigation,” he said, adding that the fake gun was also seized, along with a parang and a motorcycle.
The suspect is being investigated under Section 392/397 of the Penal Code and Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Separately, the police also arrested five men between the ages of 41 and 57 believed to be involved in three other cases around Johor Baru, including the use of fake guns to intimidate victims.
“The group had broken into the store room of a delivery company in Kempas and walked away with some cash and a CCTV decoder on Feb 24. They caused losses worth RM1,300 to the company.
“On Feb 25, we received information from the public about an incident where a group of men with parang had injured two individuals in Tampoi before fleeing the scene. The victims were in the hospital for four days after being stabbed by the suspects.
“On March 10, they robbed a sundry shop with parang and a fake gun. They walked away with some cash, mobile phones belonging to the shop’s workers and their valuables, causing losses of RM10,000,” he said.
He said a car that has been reported missing since March 10 was also found along with the five suspects.
“Also seized were two fake guns, 13 mobile phones, a CCTV decoder as well as MyKads and passports believed to be stolen from their victims.
“We also found straws containing powder, believed to be syabu and heroin, during the raid,” he said, adding that all suspects tested positive for drugs.
The five suspects, believed to be members of a gang called “Geng Sara”, are being investigated under Section 395/397, Section 324, Section 457 and Section 379A of the Penal Code as well as Section 12(2) and Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
“With the arrest of the ‘Geng Sara’ criminals, we were able to solve 10 cases in Johor Baru North, Johor Baru South, Muar and Kluang,” he said.
