Police bust 'Gurun Gang', recover stolen items worth RM520,000
KOTA KINABALU - The police have busted the Gurun Gang, believed to be responsible for robbing luxury homes, with the arrest of four men, including their leader, a 34-year-old former soldier from Kedah who was fired because drug abuse.
Kota Kinabalu district police chief ACP Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said the suspects, aged 32 to 64, were detained to facilitate investigations while police seized stolen items, including jewellery, laptops, branded bags and other valuables worth RM520,000.
He said the gang, which had been active for the past six months, was believed to be responsible for 19 burglaries in Kota Kinabalu, including the theft of a safe and a pistol, three break-ins in Tuaran, and two similar cases each in Kota Marudu and Penampang.
"The modus operandi of the group was to target luxury homes around Kota Kinabalu. When they were sure a house was not occuptied, they would jump the fence and pry open the doors and windows.
"The valuables will then be disposed of at pawnshops here and in Kota Belud, besides sending them to a fence in Ampang (Selangor)... the case is being investigated under Section 457 of the Penal Code for burglary," he told a press conference here on Thursday.
Mohd Zaidi said police also seized goods worth RM200,000 from a suspect who was believed to have fenced the stolen goods in Ampang, Selangor.
He said the suspects were arrested based on investigations from closed circuit camera footage at a victim's house in a series of arrests made around Kota Kinabalu.
Six other members of the gang are still at large and he asked the public to channel any tips on the case to the police.
"All the suspects have prior records of between four to 10 cases involving burglary, robbery, drug possession and drug abuse, some of whom have been sentenced or are in the process of trial.
"The leader of this group is from Gurun (Kedah), since he was fired, he became the mastermind to identify targets and ordered his accomplices to conduct burglaries," he said. - BERNAMA
