Husband and wife team busted for stealing cars

Couple also lead police to a third suspect who dismantled the cars they stole for body parts.

BALIK PULAU: Southwest District police in Penang have busted a husband and wife car theft syndicate, known as “Geng Thiagu”, that had been active in the northern region, with the arrest of a married couple and another man last week.

Southwest district police chief Deputy Superintendent Lai Fah Hin told newsmen that the couple had operated a three-man syndicate to steal cars in Penang, Parit Buntar in Perak and Kulim in Kedah in the past few months.

Police seized five stolen cars, car parts, computer laptops, radio cassette players, Malaysian passports, vehicle registration documents, identity cards, ATM cards and Touch n Go cards, all estimated at RM400,000.

Following a tip-off, police arrested the husband and wife in Ayer Puteh here last Tuesday.

The detained couple then led a police raiding party to a motorcar workshop in Kulim, where a mechanic was arrested.

The suspects, age between 34 and 40, have been remanded to help police investigations into the syndicate.

The couple said they only stole Malaysian-made cars as these were easier to unlock. After stealing the vehicles, the couple would drive it to a Kulim workshop to be dismantled for body parts at a cost of RM500 per vehicle.

The couple would then market the car parts to interested buyers.

During police interrogation, the couple allegedly admitted to committing at least 16 car thefts in the region so far.

Initial police checks allegedly revealed that the suspects, all of whom tested positive for drugs , had previous criminal records for drug abuse and car theft.