Three men including mastermind held for armed robberies in three states

ALOR SETAR - Three men, including a mastermind, suspected of being involved in armed robberies at goldsmith shops in Kedah, Perlis and Penang since 2009, were arrested on Dec 12 and 14.

Kedah deputy police chief Datuk Abu Samah Mohd Noor said with the arrest of the suspects, the police had solved seven cases of armed robbery in the three states.

"On Dec 3, police were alerted about a robbery in Jalan Langgar where a local man used a pump gun and a machete. He escaped with two trays containing 32 gold chains worth an estimated RM178,000.

"Subsequently, the police arrested a 54-year-old suspect in Alor Setar last Tuesday, who is also the mastermind and prime suspect in all these robbery cases," he told a press conference here today.

He said the suspect, who runs a gazebo business, committed these robberies alone and was involved in a gang robbery only once in 2009.

Abu Samah said that following the arrest of the main suspect, the police arrested two other men, aged 52 and 54, who were the buyers of the stolen items.

"Police seized a pump gun, three pistols, bullets, an axe, a gold smelting machine, a Proton Wira car and RM5,500 cash. All the suspects have been remanded until tomorrow,” he said.

In a separate development, police believed to have solved 24 house break-ins in Kota Setar and Kubang Pasu districts following the arrest of two men, aged 33 and 37, last Wednesday (Dec 13).

Both suspects have been remanded until Dec 20, he said. - BERNAMA