Car theft syndicate targeting vehicles left by foreigners at condos busted, six arrested

SERDANG: Police have arrested six men believed to be part of a car theft syndicate here.

Serdang OCPD Asst Comm AA Anbalagan said CID personnel from the district and Kuala Lumpur initially arrested three men and seized a Mercedes S 320 along with a Toyota Estima at about 2pm on July 25.

"The two cars were reported stolen.

"Based on interrogations, a follow up operation was conducted the next day and three other suspects were arrested including a Nepalese national," he told reporters today.

He said police also seized several mobile phones, a key programmer, six vehicles including a Volkswagen Passat, Audi Q7 and Toyota Fortuner.

"Two of the vehicles seized were reported stolen in Seri Kembangan.

"Our investigations revealed the syndicate would look for vehicles that were left for long periods inside condominium parking lots," he said.

He added they believe the vehicles were owned by foreigners who had left the country for a long time.

He said further investigations revealed two of the suspects arrested were potential buyers.

"One of the suspects, a 40-year-old man, was the owner of a key shop and had experience in making and programming secondary keys.

"The Nepalese man arrested worked as a security guard and gave the syndicate information on vehicles left for long periods at the condominium he was working at," he said.

He noted police had linked the syndicate to seven cases so far.