MELAKA: Melaka police busted a motorcycle theft syndicate run by six underage teenagers notoriously known as ‘Geng Botak’ which has been active in the state since last year in Ops Lejang from July 4-7.
Melaka deputy police chief SAC Md Nazri Zawawi said all the juvenile delinquents, who are minors aged 13 to 17 including the ring leader of the boy group known as ‘Baldie’, who at age 13 is too young to even obtain a motorcycle licence (minimum age 16), were arrested at separate locations in the operation.
“Geng Botak was successfully dismantled following a complaint from a contract worker whose Yamaha Y15 motorcycle parked at his home in Kampung Padang Temu vanished at 11 pm on July 3.
“Based on the complaint, the first arrests involved three members of the gang aged 13, 14 and 15, including the leader, around Semabok, Sungai Udang and Masjid Tanah at 1 pm on July 4,” he said here today.
He said the second wave of arrests saw gang member 15-year-old Syawal arrested at the roadside of Jalan Sungai Badau here on July 6, while two others aged 16 and 17 were arrested along Jalan Taman Paya Rumput on July 7.
He said that following all the arrests, six motorcycles that were reported missing were also seized and police believe that six cases of motorcycle theft masterminded by the gang have been resolved.
Md Nazri said the syndicate’s modus operandi was to target motorcycles parked outside unfenced houses and that the stolen vehicles were used by all the suspects for joyrides.
He said initial investigation showed all the suspects were ‘squeaky clean’ as they have no past criminal record while urine tests showed them free of drug abuse.
He said the case was investigated under Section 379A of the Penal Code for vehicle theft which provides for a prison sentence of not less than one year and not more than seven years and liable to a fine, if convicted.
