Penang police bust motorcycle theft gang with arrest of duo

BUKIT MERTAJAM – Police have busted a motorcycle theft gang with the arrest of two men believed to be involved in 87 such cases in Penang and Kedah.

Seberang Perai Tengah police chief Tan Cheng San said the men, who were nabbed in two recent raids, would then smuggle the motorcycles into a neighbouring country to be sold.

He said police set up the special Ops Lejang Wave team in August after receiving 10 reports related to motorcycle thefts at the Bukit Mertajam and Bukit Tengah KTM station car parks since June.

“We were able to locate the first suspect, aged 46, at a homestay in Padang Besar, Perlis, at 6.25pm on November 23, and he is believed to have tried to smuggle a stolen motorbike into a neighbouring country. 

“Following his arrest, police detained his 41-year-old accomplice at the Butterworth bus station on November 26. Investigations revealed that the suspect was there to try and steal a motorcycle,” he told a press conference today.

He said investigations revealed that the two men, who are from Perlis, would travel to Penang and steal only Honda Wave Alpha motorcycles parked at KTM stations, public markets, and hospitals on the mainland.

Tan said they used a modified Allen key to steal the motorbikes before taking them to the homestay in Padang Besar and smuggling them into a neighbouring country, where they would sell them to middlemen for RM1,000 per motorcycle.

Both suspects, who have criminal records, have been remanded until Sunday to assist in the investigation under Section 379A of the Penal Code. – Bernama, December 1, 2022