JOHOR BARU: Police have busted a syndicate responsible for at least 31 robberies and house break-ins at several districts statewide.
Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said 11 suspects, including two women, were arrested in a series of raids from Aug 12 until 26.
“The syndicate, which called itself Group Bala, had been actively breaking into homes in Johor Baru, Kulai, Pontian and Muar for the past five to six months.
“They targeted houses in affluent residential areas and those without security guards. They usually strike in groups of four or five at night or in the wee hours of the morning.
“When there were people in the house that they were breaking into, the suspects would use weapons to threaten them into submission,” he told a press conference at the state police headquarters here.
He added that the suspects, aged 20 to 65 years old, included the group leader who goes by the name of Bala.
Along with the arrests, police also seized RM95,000 worth of items including liquor, a remote control vehicle, jewellery and collector’s items, believed to be stolen during the group’s illegal activities, he said.
Tools, believed to be used by the group to break into homes, were also found.
“One of the suspects, a 65-year-old man, acted as the disposer where he would purchase the stolen items to resell to others.
“Out of the 11 arrested, eight of them tested positive for drugs.
“Eight of the suspects also possess various criminal records, where the highest among them had 36 priors,” he said, adding that all of them have been remanded until Sept 7 to aid in the investigation.
