KOTA KINABALU: Police arrested five people, including a woman, who were believed to have been involved in the two failed attempts to prise open two banks’ automated teller machines (ATMs) here on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Chandra (right) and CID chief DSP Nor Azizulkifli Mansor with the three luxury vehicles that were confiscated from the robbery suspects.
City police chief ACP M. Chandra(left) and CID chief DSP Nor Azizulkifli Mansor showing the tools used by the suspects who failed to prise open two banks’ automated teller machines in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Among the stolen items that were confiscated by the police during the raid on a rented apartment at Likas Court at Jalan Tuaran on September 17 after the failed ATM break-in attempts.
Items and tools that were used by the ATM break-in suspects in their crime activities.
All the suspects, aged between 23 and 55, were apprehended during a police raid on a rented apartment at Likas Court at Jalan Tuaran on September 17.
During the 9.30pm raid, police also confiscated numerous stolen items and tools used by the suspects, including three luxury vehicles, numerous car keys, two pairs of black leather jacket, a couple of false hair (wigs), face masks, knives, swords, several cans of colour sprays and an oxygen cylinder.
City police chief ACP M. Chandra said the police’s swift success in crippling the gang after the failed attempts to break into the ATMs in less than 24 hours was based on the good cooperation with the public.
“In less than 12 hours after the second attempt to prise open an ATM at the Hong Leong Bank in Plaza Alamesra, a raid was carried out by a special task force on a rented apartment at Likas Court in Jalan Tuaran on Wednesday at around 9.30pm,” he told a press conference at the city police headquarters in Karamunsing here yesterday.
Chandra said the investigation revealed that the mastermind of the group was a 47-year-old man from Sibu, Sarawak, while his accomplices were three men, aged 25, 32 and 55, from Limbang, Sarawak, and a local woman, aged 23, from Papar.
Chandra said that police investigation also revealed that the suspects were involved in four other burglary cases around the state capital, namely, in Luyang and Likas between September 9 and September 14 this year, with losses amounting to close to RM41,000.
“Our investigation also revealed that the male suspects had just entered the state capital from Sarawak early this month before they carried out the four burglary cases,” he said, adding that four of the suspects were ex-convicts from Sarawak.
The suspects were all found to be drug addicts after preliminary urine tests came back positive for drug abuse, he said.
Chandra added that further investigation was being carried out to determine if the suspects were involved in other criminal cases.
All the suspects have been remanded and would be charged under the respective provisions of the Penal Code for theft in dwelling house (Section 380), attempting to commit offence (Section 511), for housebreaking (Section 457) and vehicle theft (Section 379).
They would additionally be charged under Section 15 (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for drug offences and the Prevention of Crime Act 1959.