SHAH ALAM: Following their arrest last week, two Colombian men have been linked to a series of house break-ins in Johor and Selangor.
According to police, the duo are believed to have been recruited by a 55-year-old local woman and are responsible for stealing luxury watches, jewellery, crystals, and currency worth at least RM1.91mil.
Bukit Aman CID director, Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, stated that a series of raids was conducted in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur on Jan 3, resulting in the apprehension of the two Colombian men, their recruiter, two local men, and another local woman.
“The suspects range from 45 to 62 years old,” he said. “It was also discovered that one of the Colombian men had a previous record for similar cases and had been detained under the Prevention of Crime Act (POCA) 1959.”
ALSO READ: PJ residents warned of Latino-looking robbers involved in several house break-ins
Comm Mohd Shuhaily also stated that the investigation connected the group to at least 10 house break-ins in Selangor and nine in Johor.
“Following the arrests, we raided five other locations and seized 64 luxury watches, eight pieces of branded luggage, 79 items of jewellery, 29 crystals and precious stones, foreign currency, as well as RM1,821 cash,” he said.
The group was reportedly alarmed due to viral messages warning homeowners to be cautious of a red car believed to be used by a house break-in syndicate.
Police tailed the Colombians and apprehended them at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang and Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
“They had plans to depart Malaysia and rendezvous in Thailand to plan their next move,” Comm Mohd Shuhaily added. “Their recruiter, a 55-year-old local woman, has been identified as being responsible for bringing them in and acting as a fence to sell the stolen items.”
The woman is suspected to have sold the stolen items to two of her associates, the local man and woman who were arrested. Another local man is believed to have been the driver for the suspects.
Comm Mohd Shuhaily also mentioned that police confiscated three vehicles, including the red car believed to have been used in the break-ins.
