ALOR SETAR: A man suspected of committing armed robbery at goldsmith shops in Kedah, Perlis and Penang dating back to 2009 has been arrested.
Kedah deputy police chief Datuk Abu Samah Mohd Noor said with the arrest of the man and subsequently two suspected buyers of stolen goods, police have solved seven armed robberies in the three states.
"On Dec 3, police were alerted to 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, we arrested a 54-year-old suspect in Alor Setar last Tuesday (Dec 12), who is also the... prime suspect in all these cases," he told a press conference here on Monday (Dec 18).
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 believed to be the buyers of the stolen items.
"Police seized a pump gun, three pistols, ammunition, an axe, a gold smelting machine, a car and RM5,500 cash. All the suspects have been remanded until (Tuesday, Dec 19),” he said.
In a separate development, police believe they have solved 24 house break-ins in the Kota Setar and Kubang Pasu districts following the arrest of two men, aged 33 and 37, on Wednesday (Dec 13).
Both suspects have been remanded until this Wednesday (Dec 20), he said. – Bernama