KUALA LUMPUR – Police have busted the Acoi Gang, believed to behind armed robberies in Ampang Jaya and Gombak, with the arrest of eight local individuals, including a woman.
Ampang Jaya district police chief Mohamad Farouk Eshak said the suspects, aged between 21 and 35, were arrested in five raids around Selayang and Gombak from August 3 to 6.
He said police received six complaints regarding armed robbery cases using machetes around Ampang Jaya from July till early this month.
“The sudden surge in these cases and occurring almost every day is very worrying. Hence, the police have set up a special team to track and arrest this criminal group,” he said in a statement today.
In the raids, police seized 74 mobile phones and three laptops, believed to be stolen, as well as three machetes, four swords, five knives, an axe and six motorcycles.
According to police, the group targets victims who are walking alone, and used two different motorcycles in each robbery to avoid detection by the police.
“Investigations revealed that only one of the suspects has no criminal records while another suspect is wanted by the police for narcotics and commercial crime cases,” he said, adding that six others tested positive for methamphetamine.
Farouk said police are conducting further investigation into the suspects’ involvement in other cases in and outside the Ampang district.
The case is being investigated under Sections 395 and 397 of the Penal Code and Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. – Bernama, August 12, 2021
