SEPANG (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A gang of robbers in Selangor described as opportunists by police stole a Perodua Alza - and used it for the wedding of one of their relatives.
Malaysian police who nabbed the gang in a series of raids at various homes - including a cowshed - were shocked to find the car decorated with ribbons and accessorised for a wedding procession.
Selangor's Sepang police chief Mohd Yusoff Awang said the 10 men were believed to be involved in at least 12 robberies in the Klang Valley and Negri Sembilan.
The first raid, he said, took place at 5.15am on Dec 2 when police surrounded a cowshed in Bukit Pelandok, Port Dickson.
"When they noticed our presence, they tried to attack our personnel but we were able to arrest five of them," Mohd Yusoff said at the Sepang district police headquarters yesterday.
Several parang, mobile phones, laptops, car keys, a weighing machine and a Proton Perdana were seized during the raid, he said, adding that authorities also found ski masks, gloves and a baton.
He said investigations showed that the five had been living in the cowshed for about a month to evade authorities over a murder case in Shah Alam.
Following interrogation, he said police raided a flat in Taman Perdana, Rawang, where another four men were nabbed.
"We seized the Perodua Alza and found that it was used at a wedding procession for one of the men's relatives.
"On the same day, we found a Toyota Avanza parked in front of a vacant shoplot in Morib," said Mohd Yusoff, adding that the last suspect was nabbed at 6.30pm the next day at a flat in Shah Alam.
This led to the discovery of a Toyota Camry in Kampung Baru Subang, Seksyen U6, Shah Alam.
"We believe that the gang has been active in Sepang, Klang, Rawang, Kuala Kubu Baru and Port Dickson. They are a group of opportunists and would rob anyone given the chance," he said.
He said the men had slashed one of their victims during a robbery in Taman Pantai Sepang Putra on Nov 24.
Eight of the men, aged between 19 and 44, were formerly held in Simpang Renggam, with several having over 10 criminal records.
Police are still on the hunt for one more man - a 27-year-old known as Kumaran Devaraju or Panjang - to help in their investigations.
