KOTA KINABALU: Ten people, including a woman, have been detained by the police in connection with the armed robbery on July 16 at the law firm office of a prominent businessman cum lawyer in Luyang here who reportedly lost about RM300,000 cash.
Among those detained was the owner of a moneychanger shop located at 1Borneo Hypermall, said city police chief ACP Jauteh Dikun
“Police have detained the moneychanger shop owner for possessing 10 pieces of SGD10,000 notes that is believed to have been stolen from the victim’s house on July 16,” he told a press conference at the city police headquarters in Karamunsing here yesterday.
Jauteh said nine of the suspects, aged 22 to 45, were arrested separately around Tuaran and Penampang between July 16 and July 24.
“Following the arrest of nine of the suspects, police have managed to recover numerous items that were believed to have been stolen such as foreign currencies, a homemade gun, two laptops, seven watches, three mini Ipads, four cellphones, a saxophone and a Honda car,” said Jauteh, adding that the items were estimated to value at around RM400,000.
Jauteh said from police investigation it is believed that the nine suspects have been involved in numerous housebreaking cases around the state capital.
All those detained have been remanded under Section 395/397 of the Penal Code for gang-robbery while the moneychanger owner has been detained to facilitate police investigation under Section 414 of the same Code for assisting in concealment of stolen property.
The incident took place on July 16 when three men broke into businessman cum lawyer, Datuk Joseph Ambrose Lee’s ‘Labuan House’ law firm, after overpowering a security guard who had fallen asleep while on duty at around 2.10am.
The three men reportedly sneaked up to the security guard and covered his face with a cloth before tying both his hands. The suspects then brought the security guard to a room outside the house where a Filipina maid was sleeping. The robbers then tied up the maid before they forced their way into the building via a window and pried open a safe containing RM10,000, USD10,000 (RM38, 000), S$120,000 (RM240,000), three watches and personal documents including passports. The three suspects then fled in a waiting car with a fourth accomplice.
Initial police investigation believed the suspects were armed with knuckles dusters while five fingerprints were found within the house.