News

Published: Tuesday July 31, 2012 MYT 7:28:00 PM
Updated: Tuesday July 31, 2012 MYT 7:59:52 PM

Lorry stealing syndicate crippled by cops

BY MANJIT KAUR


IPOH: Police believe they have crippled a syndicate dealing in stolen lorries with the arrest of 11 men, including five foreign nationals.

State CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim said police had recovered 17 lorries valued at more than RM600,000 at an oil palm estate in Lekir, near Sitiawan, following the arrests last month.

"Investigations show that the suspects, aged between 30 and 55, are part of a syndicate which has been involved in the trade of stolen lorries since 1999.

"Their modus operandi is to engage a middleman to find a buyer. "The lorries are then sold cheaply between RM6,000 and RM10,000 with the middlemen getting commissions of RM1,000 to RM2,000 per vehicle," he added.

SAC Mohd Dzuraidi said the stolen lorries, 10 of which had been reported as stolen in the Klang Valley, were purchased by buyers to transport oil palm from the estates to factories.

"The engine and chassis numbers have all been tampered with to avoid detection by the authorities.

"Some buyers have also replaced components such as engines, chassis and spare parts from scrap metal dealers to avoid being caught," he said.

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story
  • Bookmark and Share